JT Thor’s Journey: From Paris Olympics to a New NBA Contract

After three seasons in the NBA, JT Thor showcased his skills with South Sudan in the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics. Despite not having a contract for the upcoming season, Thor’s performance caught the attention of NBA teams.

A week following the gold-medal game, Thor has secured a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as reported by the Akron Beacon Journal and The Athletic. This contract allows the Cavaliers to maintain three players beyond the 15 on their regular-season roster. Two-way players like Thor can move between the NBA team and its G League affiliate without being subject to waivers, protecting them from being claimed by other teams.

A two-way contract for the 2024-25 season pays $578,577, which is half of the rookie minimum salary. Two-way players are eligible to participate in up to 50 NBA games per season.

Thor’s college career at Auburn saw him average 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in his lone season. Drafted 37th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2021 NBA Draft, Thor spent three seasons with Charlotte. Over 165 games, he averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds, with 11 starts. Additionally, he played in 17 games with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League in 2021-22 and five games in 2022-23.

In the 2023-24 season, Thor averaged 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds across 63 games for the Hornets. His standout performance came in the final game of the season, where he played a career-high 41:06, scoring 20 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out four assists in a 120-110 win over the Cavaliers.

During South Sudan’s debut at the Olympics, Thor recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks, though the team ended with a 1-2 record. In a pre-Olympics exhibition against Team USA on July 20, Thor hit a clutch 3-pointer to give South Sudan a brief lead, but LeBron James’ last-second layup secured a 101-100 victory for the United States.