Tina Marie Thompson was born on February 10, 1975 in Los Angeles, California. She has an older brothr, Tommy Thompson, Jr.

High School
Tina graduated from Morningside High School in Inglewood, California (the same high school which Lisa Leslie attended). She recorded more than 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in her high school career.

College
Tina attended the University of Southern California, where she graduated in 1997, with a degree in sociology with a minor in psychology.

In her basketball career, Tina was selected to the 1997 Kodak District VIII All-American Team as well as the All Pac-10 First Team. and was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year in 1997.

She finished her career as the Pac-10's third leading scorer (2,248 points) and its second leading rebounder (1,168).

WNBA
Tina was the #1 overall pick in the first round of the 1997 WNBA draft, by the Houston Comets.

In her long and distinguished career, she has acquired numerous awards and accolades. She is a four-time All-Star, winning MVP honors at the 2000 All-Star Game. She led all Western Conference players in All-Star voting in 2001. She was named to the All-WNBA First Team three times (1997, 1998, 2004) and All-WNBA Second Team four times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002).

Tina is the WNBA's second all-time leading scorer behind Lisa Leslie. When she scored 28 points in a loss to the New York Liberty on June 5, 2008, she became the second player to reach the milestone of 5,000 points in the WNBA.

Olympics
Tina was an alternate for the 2000 Olympic squad. She was named to the '98 and 2002 USA World Championship teams, but injuries kept her from both competitions. She would earn her gold medal in 2004 in Greece.

International
Following the 2001 WNBA season, Tina played for Rovereto Basket in Rovereto, Italy. In 2003 she played for the Kumho Falcons of the Women's Korea Basketball League (WKBL).

Personal
Tina missed the first half of the 2005 season after giving birth to her first child, a baby boy, with NBA player Damon Jones.