Want to know where sports entertainment is heading? Ask someone who's spent years reading defenses and anticipating plays. NBA champion Tristan Thompson has a vision for the future of sports broadcasting, and it involves a whole lot more than replays and commentary.

Thompson believes prediction markets are about to fundamentally change how fans watch professional sports. Picture this: a chart in the corner of your TV screen showing real-time odds that shift "from possession to possession" as the game unfolds. Not over weeks like political elections, but during the course of a two-hour basketball game. "This is going to happen," Thompson told Decrypt.

The Leagues Are Already Moving

This isn't just speculation from a retired athlete looking for his next venture. The sports industry is already testing these waters through significant partnerships.

Earlier this month, TKO Group Holdings—the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship—inked a multiyear deal with Polymarket. The partnership puts a fan prediction scoreboard directly into UFC broadcasts, showing global fan sentiment and fight forecasts in real time.

The NHL moved even faster, becoming the first major sports league to establish multiyear partnerships with prediction markets last month. They're working with both Polymarket and its rival platform Kalshi. Meanwhile, retail brokerage Robinhood started giving customers access to sports-related prediction markets this year.

Why This Isn't Just Gambling

Thompson draws a clear distinction between prediction markets and traditional sports betting. The key difference? You can exit your position before the final whistle blows.

According to Thompson, this flexibility will actually drive viewership higher. When you can adjust your position based on game flow, you're incentivized to watch more closely. "It's hard to tell how a game is going by just looking at the scoreboard," Thompson explained. He's suggesting that prediction market movements reveal opportunities that conventional box scores might miss entirely.

Building Basketball's Next Chapter

At 34, Thompson hasn't officially announced his retirement from the NBA, but he's definitely pursuing something beyond the court. His main project is Basketball.fun, which he's positioning as a fan-powered prediction and data platform where users can back their basketball opinions with real stakes.

Think of it as creating a live market for player performance and fan sentiment. The platform aims to reimagine how fans, data, and players connect in modern basketball.

Thompson resists the narrative that this represents some dramatic reinvention. "It's still the same journey and grind. The players on the court are different, but now it's about testing the mind, opening up my brain, and unlocking a pathway I've never had to before," he told Forbes.

Blockchain as the New Wall Street

Thompson isn't the first NBA player to explore cryptocurrency territory. Spencer Dinwiddie tokenized part of his NBA contract. Steph Curry launched an NFT project selling digital sneakers. But Thompson sees blockchain technology as something more fundamental—a new frontier in financial literacy.

"It's no different than forty years ago when athletes went into banking and investing," Thompson said. He calls blockchain "the next Wall Street."

What Fans Actually Want

Thompson's bets on AI and prediction markets align with what fans are apparently demanding. A recent survey from the Capgemini Research Institute reveals some striking shifts in fan behavior.

Fifty-four percent of fans now turn to AI-driven platforms instead of traditional search engines for breaking sports stories and real-time statistics. Nearly 67% want a centralized hub where they can view player metrics, social buzz, and team updates all in one place.

Customization isn't a nice-to-have anymore—it's baseline. Sixty-four percent of users expect AI to deliver news and highlights tailored specifically to their interests. And here's where it gets really interesting: 58% of surveyed fans want the ability to replay games with alternative outcomes generated by AI. What if that three-pointer had gone in? AI could show you how the rest of the game might have unfolded.

Meet TracyAI

Thompson was recently named Chief Content Officer and Lead Advisor of TracyAI, a basketball-focused artificial intelligence agent he conceived last year. He's been developing it alongside Virtuals Protocol, an AI agent marketplace.

"Imagine in the palm of your hands having an app or a URL site where you can log in, you can push to talk, and she's going to verbalize information to you right on the spot," Thompson told Sports Business Journal. "And she [TracyAI] will have real-time analytics and stats."

It's basically Siri for basketball nerds, but one that actually knows what it's talking about.

Thompson's Post-Basketball Portfolio

Thompson currently holds four C-suite roles across the web3 and fintech landscape. Beyond his work with Basketball.fun and TracyAI, he serves as chief digital equity officer at World Mobile, a decentralized mobile telecommunications network, and chief advisory officer at AxonDAO, an AI-powered medical research platform.

Whether prediction markets become the new normal in sports broadcasting remains to be seen. But with leagues actively partnering with these platforms and athletes like Thompson building businesses around them, it's clear something is shifting in how sports, technology, and fan engagement intersect.