Tristan Thompson honored his late mom, Andrea Thompson, in an emotional tribute — reflecting on his mistakes and the man he hopes to become.
“Dearest mommy in heaven, It has been one month since you’ve been gone. I’m in disbelief. I’m in the deepest part of sorrow & grief,” the NBA star, 31, began in the heart-wrenching post, which he shared via Instagram on Sunday, February 5. “My soul is empty as I come to terms that my biggest supporter/superhero is gone. I cannot thank you enough for always being a woman of faith, being one of God’s warriors, fighting back with whatever the world threw our way. You constantly protected us through prayer. My hero you fought all the battles you needed to and it was time for you to go home.”
Tristan, who was the oldest of four — Andrea was also the mother of sons Dishawn, Daniel and Amari — thanked his late mom for “picking me as [her] son,” recalling how she “dedicated [her] life to [her] boys & the church.” He called her his “role model, best friend & the strongest woman I know.”
In his lengthy letter, the former Chicago Bulls player also apologized to Andrea for the mistakes he made in his life. (Though Tristan did not specify, he has frequently made headlines for his repeated infidelity, including fathering son Theo, 14 months, with Maralee Nichols when he was still in a relationship with Khloé Kardashian, with whom he shares daughter True, 4, and a baby boy, 7 months. He is also dad of son Prince, 6, with ex Jordan Craig.)
“All I can say is, I’m sorry mommy for the wrong decisions I’ve made in my life. I’m sorry for the embarrassment & pain. You raised me better than what I was able to show you,” the Canada native penned. “But I have also learned sorry is not enough. Actions speak louder than worlds. So I won’t just say sorry. Stay tuned to the ways I will show the world what an amazing son you raised. I will show you that even when we fall & make mistakes, we get back up. You are my motivation. Stand beside me as I become the man I know you always believed in. I’m going to make you proud, I promise!”
Tristan also promised Andrea that his youngest brother, who has epilepsy, “is going to be taken care of.”
Speaking of 16-year-old Amari, the basketball star wrote, “I’ll protect him, love him & do anything in the world to make sure he’s ok.”
Tristan’s comments about his youngest sibling echo Khloé’s, who paid tribute to Andrea earlier this month after attending her funeral with sister Kim Kardashian.
“I know you never wanted to leave your boys,” the Good American cofounder, 38, wrote via Instagram at the time. “They are your entire world. They will learn to live with the hole in their hearts because they are warriors just like their warrior mommy. Just know, I promise you, Amari will be perfectly ok. We will all look after him, help him and protect him. Your boys will be ok because they have their guardian Angel by their side.”
Per TMZ, Andrea was at her Toronto home on January 5 when she suffered a heart attack.
