NBA Champion Tristan Thompson Launches Uplift, a Community-owned Wireless Network
CLEVELAND, OH – NBA champion Tristan Thompson and World Mobile are launching Uplift, a new initiative aimed at providing affordable, community-owned internet access to underserved areas across the United States. The announcement was made as Thompson highlighted his commitment to bridging the digital divide and empowering communities.
Thompson, who won an NBA championship wiht the Cleveland Cavaliers, is increasingly focused on innovation and inclusion, currently holding four C-suite roles in the web3 and fintech sectors. He serves as chief digital equity officer at World Mobile and chief advisory officer at AxonDAO, an AI-powered medical research platform inspired by his brother’s epilepsy journey.He is also co-founder of Basketball Fun, a web3 platform tokenizing NBA players, and chief content officer at Tracy AI, an AI platform for real-time sports analytics.
“For me, it’s about, how can I help people that have walked the same life that I walked, and I think for us, what we’re doing is providing connectivity and connection for unlimited data at a way lower cost,” Thompson said. “It’s like,how can I help my community have a better tomorrow? And that’s what this is about.”
Uplift utilizes a tested and scalable model, previously piloted in Reno, Nevada, where community hosts earned over $10,000 annually by providing coverage to underserved areas. World Mobile reports the service operates on infrastructure already proven through its U.S. deployments.
Thompson detailed a recent success,stating,”We brought about 20% of reno back to connectivity,” and recounted providing critical connectivity to Asheville,North Carolina,following a hurricane when Starlink was unable to restore service. “We were actually the ones that brought connectivity back to Asheville, North Carolina, during that hurricane.”
The rollout will begin in Cleveland, Ohio, with expansion to additional cities planned for 2026.World Mobile estimates that over 50 million Americans live at or near the poverty line and lack access to affordable high-speed data. Uplift aims to address this disparity while ensuring that revenue generated from mobile usage remains within the communities it serves.
