Florida State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 25
Tallahassee, Fla.
7:00 PM
Florida State
vs
CSU Bakersfield
Trace Thompson: The Newest Member Of The Florida State Basketball Team
11/24/2025 9:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE – "When you think there isn't a way, keep trying," says Trace Thompson.
That's how Trace lives his life.
That's how he has to live his life.
At age nine, Trace was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which can be a fatal disease that damages the nervous system and adrenal glands. He underwent gene therapy, where his own stem cells were used for a non-traditional bone marrow transplant. The bone marrow transplants were necessary because there is no cure for ALD. The procedure, though, can halt the progression of symptoms.
At age 15 he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes, which are a group of bone marrow disorders where stem cells fail to mature into healthy blood cells, leading to a shortage of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Symptoms include fatigue, anemia, frequent infections, and easy bleeding. Treatments range from monitoring and blood transfusions to chemotherapy.
On Wednesday, he signed a National Letter of Intent and became a member of the Florida State men's basketball team.
On Tuesday, he will be among the crowd as the Seminoles play host to Cal State Bakersfield at 7:00 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles' game against the Roadrunners will be streamed on ACCNX with Jack Kavovit and Jacob Ridenhour and can be heard on the Seminole Sports Network with Jeff Culhane and Adrian Crawford.
Tickets are available for Tuesday's game at Seminoles.com. Tickets for Florida State students are free; they can be claimed here.
The game will be celebrated as the annual FANSgiving day by the Seminoles. The first 250 fans to stop by the marketing table outside of section 122/123 will receive a concession voucher to use during the game.
Following his initial diagnosis in May of 2019, Trace and his family spent more than six months at the Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis for treatment and post-treatment care. Over the next five years, he was closely monitored by his doctors in Minnesota while his family resumed their lives in Tallahassee.
But just over five years after his first treatment, in January of 2024, he and his family received the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with MDS or "pre-leukemia". His treatment required chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Trace currently completes weekly labs, which are monitored by his doctors in Minnesota. The Thompson family travels from Tallahassee to Minneapolis three to four times a year for follow-up testing for both ALD and Leukemia.
While he is unable to attend school and limited in what he can do as a member of his junior basketball team, Trace perseveres, nonetheless. He has three lesions on his brain and will be steroid dependent for the rest of his life due to adrenal insufficiency.
For Trace, an avid basketball fan, the chance to become a member of the Florida State basketball team was the opportunity of a lifetime.
"It means a lot that people are taking me in as one of their own," said Trace.
Trace's signing day ceremony came together in part thanks to Team IMPACT, an organization that pairs children with a serious illness and or a disability with college teams.
Britany knew a member of Team IMPACT from their connection at a previous organization, and she went through rounds of interviews after Trace's second bone marrow transplant, which forged the bond between the Florida State basketball program and the Thompson family.
Team IMPACT matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, creating long-term, life-changing experiences. The organization provides opportunities to improve the long-term emotional wellbeing of children facing unthinkable medical circumstances.
"Trace is an active example of what we are trying to do with our program," said Seminole head coach Luke Loucks. "To me, he represents a couple of our values in finding joy regardless of the circumstances and fighting through things while having no excuses and no complaints when life gets tough."
During the ceremony inside the Seminoles' team film room at the Florida State Basketball Training Center, Loucks called on sophomore Martin Somervile to speak for his team.
"We admire you for everything you are going through," said Somerville. "It shows us as a team that we have to fight through adversity every day. We understand that there are bigger days ahead and we are excited to have you as a part of our team."
The anchor of the Thompson family is Britany, mother to Trace and Daughtry, 10.
This is an honor for Trace," said Britany following the ceremony. "It's a whole new season for the team; they already have so much to take on. Their willingness to sign this contact to become a part of our family and us a part of their family means so much. Trace doesn't get to do a lot of his normal stuff, and it's been a rough couple of years.
"Just to have more support and to know that these guys care about him means the world to us. Every day is not easy. There are some days that are rougher than others. As the parent, it's really hard to see your child go through that. He always remains positive and doesn't let small things worry. Sometimes he's the bigger person that tells me, 'Mom, it's going to be fine.'"
Britany is Trace's self-proclaimed best friend.
"Coach Loucks uses the word connected for his team," said Britany. "It's just a word, right? But when you actually sit back, think on it, look at the word and what it means, Trace is inspiring to the team and they are inspiring him. Trace and the basketball team are connected by that word and are doing the same thing for each other, through their journeys are different. Trace and this team are connected."
Loucks closed the ceremony with words meant to inspire Trace, the Seminole players, and his entire staff.
"Trace is going to continue to be around you guys," said Loucks as Trace officially became a Seminole. "All I ask is that you make him a part of our family and learn from the struggles he is going through and his positive attitude regardless of his circumstances. We can all be better just having him as a part of our family."
That's how Trace lives his life.
That's how he has to live his life.
At age nine, Trace was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which can be a fatal disease that damages the nervous system and adrenal glands. He underwent gene therapy, where his own stem cells were used for a non-traditional bone marrow transplant. The bone marrow transplants were necessary because there is no cure for ALD. The procedure, though, can halt the progression of symptoms.
At age 15 he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes, which are a group of bone marrow disorders where stem cells fail to mature into healthy blood cells, leading to a shortage of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Symptoms include fatigue, anemia, frequent infections, and easy bleeding. Treatments range from monitoring and blood transfusions to chemotherapy.
On Wednesday, he signed a National Letter of Intent and became a member of the Florida State men's basketball team.
On Tuesday, he will be among the crowd as the Seminoles play host to Cal State Bakersfield at 7:00 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles' game against the Roadrunners will be streamed on ACCNX with Jack Kavovit and Jacob Ridenhour and can be heard on the Seminole Sports Network with Jeff Culhane and Adrian Crawford.
Tickets are available for Tuesday's game at Seminoles.com. Tickets for Florida State students are free; they can be claimed here.
The game will be celebrated as the annual FANSgiving day by the Seminoles. The first 250 fans to stop by the marketing table outside of section 122/123 will receive a concession voucher to use during the game.
Following his initial diagnosis in May of 2019, Trace and his family spent more than six months at the Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis for treatment and post-treatment care. Over the next five years, he was closely monitored by his doctors in Minnesota while his family resumed their lives in Tallahassee.
But just over five years after his first treatment, in January of 2024, he and his family received the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with MDS or "pre-leukemia". His treatment required chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Trace currently completes weekly labs, which are monitored by his doctors in Minnesota. The Thompson family travels from Tallahassee to Minneapolis three to four times a year for follow-up testing for both ALD and Leukemia.
While he is unable to attend school and limited in what he can do as a member of his junior basketball team, Trace perseveres, nonetheless. He has three lesions on his brain and will be steroid dependent for the rest of his life due to adrenal insufficiency.
For Trace, an avid basketball fan, the chance to become a member of the Florida State basketball team was the opportunity of a lifetime.
"It means a lot that people are taking me in as one of their own," said Trace.
Trace's signing day ceremony came together in part thanks to Team IMPACT, an organization that pairs children with a serious illness and or a disability with college teams.
Britany knew a member of Team IMPACT from their connection at a previous organization, and she went through rounds of interviews after Trace's second bone marrow transplant, which forged the bond between the Florida State basketball program and the Thompson family.
Team IMPACT matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, creating long-term, life-changing experiences. The organization provides opportunities to improve the long-term emotional wellbeing of children facing unthinkable medical circumstances.
"Trace is an active example of what we are trying to do with our program," said Seminole head coach Luke Loucks. "To me, he represents a couple of our values in finding joy regardless of the circumstances and fighting through things while having no excuses and no complaints when life gets tough."
During the ceremony inside the Seminoles' team film room at the Florida State Basketball Training Center, Loucks called on sophomore Martin Somervile to speak for his team.
"We admire you for everything you are going through," said Somerville. "It shows us as a team that we have to fight through adversity every day. We understand that there are bigger days ahead and we are excited to have you as a part of our team."
The anchor of the Thompson family is Britany, mother to Trace and Daughtry, 10.
This is an honor for Trace," said Britany following the ceremony. "It's a whole new season for the team; they already have so much to take on. Their willingness to sign this contact to become a part of our family and us a part of their family means so much. Trace doesn't get to do a lot of his normal stuff, and it's been a rough couple of years.
"Just to have more support and to know that these guys care about him means the world to us. Every day is not easy. There are some days that are rougher than others. As the parent, it's really hard to see your child go through that. He always remains positive and doesn't let small things worry. Sometimes he's the bigger person that tells me, 'Mom, it's going to be fine.'"
Britany is Trace's self-proclaimed best friend.
"Coach Loucks uses the word connected for his team," said Britany. "It's just a word, right? But when you actually sit back, think on it, look at the word and what it means, Trace is inspiring to the team and they are inspiring him. Trace and the basketball team are connected by that word and are doing the same thing for each other, through their journeys are different. Trace and this team are connected."
Loucks closed the ceremony with words meant to inspire Trace, the Seminole players, and his entire staff.
"Trace is going to continue to be around you guys," said Loucks as Trace officially became a Seminole. "All I ask is that you make him a part of our family and learn from the struggles he is going through and his positive attitude regardless of his circumstances. We can all be better just having him as a part of our family."
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