Taylor Rooks had a tough time telling Amen and Ausar Thompson apart during an interview before the Rising Stars Challenge. No shame there, as many struggle with the identical twins who are both rising stars in the NBA. The Thompson twins decided to keep Rooks guessing, playfully refusing to reveal which one was which.
“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 asked, handing the mic to the brother on her right.
The brother responded, “No I’m not, I’m Ausar.” “Amen, here,” the other brother chimed in, leaving Rooks to exclaim, “Here we go, so this is just going to be a whole time of trying to figure it out.”
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
Interestingly, Rooks had actually identified them correctly before they launched their playful deception. But with their eerily similar physiques, hairstyles, and mannerisms, it’s no surprise they can confuse anyone. Both were drafted back-to-back in the 2023 NBA Draft, with Amen going fourth to the Houston Rockets and Ausar following suit to the Detroit Pistons. Their statistics this season are also impressively close, with Ausar averaging 14.6 points per game compared to Amen’s 13.3. When asked about playing together on the same team and what sets them apart, the brothers shared their thoughts.
“Everybody talks about how you all are similar on the court, but tell the world what makes you different out there?” Rooks prompted.
“I would say I’m cooler. In reality, I feel I’m more of a winner,” Ausar replied. “Even back in our Overtime Elite days, I won MVP… When we played against Amen, we beat him.” Amen quickly countered, “He’s just saying nonsense. You can look at the NBA wins, see who has more wins.” It seems Rooks won’t be the last reporter to be playfully fooled by the Thompson twins if they continue to have fun like this.
