Taylor Rooks had a tough time Friday telling Amen and Ausar Thompson apart.
No shame there, because many have a hard time differentiating the identical twins who are both on the rise in the NBA. The Thompson twins, however, didn’t make it easy for Rooks, pranking the NBA reporter during an interview before the Rising Stars Challenge.
“Right now we’re sharing a laugh, because they’re refusing to tell me which is which, but you’re Amen, and you’re lying to me, right?” Rooks said, giving the mic to the brother standing to her right.
“No I’m not, I’m Ausar,” he said.
“Amen, here,” the other brother told her.
“Here we go, so this is just going to be a whole time of trying to figure it out,” Rooks said.
The Thompson twins are back home in The Bay 👏
Ausar & Amen had fun messing with @TaylorRooks ahead of the #CastrolRisingStars practice 😆 pic.twitter.com/yyVd0rVW0V
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 14, 2025
Rooks actually had them correctly identified before they tried to confuse her. But Amen and Ausar could fool anyone with this prank if they wanted, with their eerily similar builds, hairstyles, and demeanors. They were drafted back-to-back in the 2023 NBA Draft, with Amen selected fourth by the Houston Rockets, and Ausar going next to the Detroit Pistons. The two brothers even boast similar statistics this season, with Ausar scoring 14.6 points per game, and Amen 13.3.
The two brothers talked about the thrill of playing together on the same team, and joked about what sets them apart.
“Everybody talks a lot about how you all are similar on the court, but tell the world what makes you different out there?” Rooks asked.
“I would say I’m cooler. In reality, I feel I’m more of a winner,” Ausar said. “Even at [Overtime Elite, basketball league] days, I won the MVP. … We played [Amen], we beat him.”
“H’e just saying nonsense,” Amen said. “You can look at the NBA wins, see who has more wins.”
Rooks likely won’t be the last reporter fooled by Amen and Ausar Thompson if they want to have a little fun.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.