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David Thompson (basketball)

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David O'Neil Thompson (born July 13, 1954 in Shelby, North Carolina) is an American professional basketball star who played for the Denver Nuggets of both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), as well as the Seattle SuperSonics. After leading them to an undefeated season (27-0) in 1973 (in which they were not eligible for the post-season), he led North Carolina State University to an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1974, including vanquishing the reigning national champions, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). His nickname was "Skywalker" because of his incredible 48-inch vertical leap. The alley-oop pass, now a staple of today's high-flying, above-the-rim game was "invented" by Thompson and his NC State teammate Monte Towe, and first used as an integral part of the offense by NC State coach Norm Sloan to take advantage of Thompson leaping ability.

NC State's game against the nationally 4th-ranked University of Maryland in the 1974 ACC Tournament finale, in an era in which only conference champions were invited to the NCAA Tournament, is considered one of the best college basketball games of all time. Thompson led the #1-ranked Wolfpack to a 103-100 overtime win. Thompson and the Wolfpack would go on to win the National Championship that year while Maryland sat at home. Maryland's exclusion from the NCAA Tournament due to the loss despite their high national ranking would lead to the expansion of the NCAA Tournament the very next season to include teams other than the league champions.

In a league that included such talents as Christian Laettner, Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Tim Duncan, and Len Bias, Thompson is widely considered the greatest player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference,

Thompson played basketball in a time in which the "dunk" was outlawed via the "Lew Alcindor" rule. In 1975, against University of North Carolina at Charlotte playing his final nonconference game at N.C. State, early in the second half Thompson drove the length of the court for his first and only slam dunk of his collegiate career, a goal that was promptly disallowed by technical foul. Head coach Norm Sloan removed Thompson, to thunderous applause. The ACC's most exciting player, who had perfomed for three years without ever performing the game's most exciting act, thus passed into history.

Michael Jordan who later grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina said that Thompson was his basketball role model, as a young man. At some of the basketball camps that Thompson ran, Jordan would often tell the campers, "He was the guy I looked up to when I was your age."

Thompson's 44 remains the only number NC State ever retired in Men's Basketball (although others have been "honored").

Thompson reached the pinnacle of his professional basketball career when he scored a career-high 73 points against Detroit on 9 April 1978. As a measure of his over-all play, he was selected as an NBA All-Star in four seasons. He was also granted a record-breaking $4 million for five-years contract beginning in the fall of 1978. That amount was more than any basketball player ever had previously been paid. However, from that point, injuries and persistent problems with substance abuse would trouble Thompson and to the significant detriment of the remainder of his NBA career, which came to an end after the 1983-84 season. He did attempt a comeback in 1985, but it was unsuccessful.

After his NBA career, Thompson continued to struggle with drugs and alcohol, his life declining to the point where he found himself jailed for a brief period of time. With encouragement from a pastor who visited the jail, he became a committed Christian and put his life back in order. Thompson now devotes his time to working with young basketball players, helping them to aspire to his achievements and avoid his mistakes. His autobiography, Skywalker, charts the highs and lows of his eventful life.

Thompson was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player on May 6, 1996.

Thompson eventually returned to school at North Carolina State, and in 2003 he finished his degree in sociology, for which he had been only 7 credits shy when he left to play professional basketball with the Denver Nuggets in 1975. He completed his studies during the first summer session of 2003, thus finishing before his daughter, Erika, who completed her coursework in arts applications in the second summer session of 2003.

College highlights

ABA/NBA highlights

See also

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American Basketball Association | ABA's All-Time Team
Marvin Barnes | Rick Barry | Zelmo Beaty | Ron Boone | Roger Brown | Mack Calvin | Darel Carrier | Billy Cunningham | Louie Dampier | Mel Daniels | Julius Erving
Donnie Freeman | George Gervin | Artis Gilmore | Connie Hawkins | Spencer Haywood | Dan Issel | Warren Jabali | Jimmy Jones | Freddie Lewis | Maurice Lucas
Moses Malone | George McGinnis | Doug Moe | Bob Netolicky | Billy Paultz | Charlie Scott | James Silas | David Thompson | Willie Wise

 

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