Athletes - David Thompson

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	Athletes - David Thompson

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.

His game against the nationally 5th-ranked University of Maryland in the ACC Tournament of 1974, in an era where only the league champion advanced to the NCAA Tournament, is widely considered the best college basketball game of all time. Thompson led his Wolfpack to a 103-100 overtime win. Thompson and his 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 would soon lead to the expansion of the NCAA Tournament to include teams other than the league champions.

To this day, even having played in a league that includes such talents as Michael Jordan, Phil Ford, Ralph Sampson and Len Bias, Thompson is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference which some consider the greatest collegiate basketball conference in the United States.

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.

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

Three-year letter winner (1973-1975)
The Sporting News national Player of the Year (1975)
Consensus First-Team All-America (1973, 1974, 1975) by Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), Eastman Kodak, The Sporting News
AP National Player of the Year (1974, 1975)
UPI Player of the Year (1975)
Eastman Kodak Award (1975)
Naismith Award (1975)
Adolph Rupp Trophy (1975)
Coach & Athlete Magazine Player of the Year (1975)
Helms Foundation Player of the Year (1974, 1975)
National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year (1975)
United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year (1975)
Dunlop Player of the Year (1975)
Sullivan Award finalist (1974, 1975)
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year (1973, 1974, 1975)
ACC Athlete of the Year (1973, 1975)
All-ACC First Team (1973, 1974, 1975)
North Carolina State retired his jersey number 44 (1975)
Led North Carolina State to the 1974 NCAA championship (30-1 record), 76-64 over Marquette University
In national semi-final win over UCLA, scored 28 points
In championship game, scored 21 points against Marquette
Most Valuable Player (MVP), NCAA Tournament (1974)
Led Wolfpack to a 79-7 record during his final three season (freshmen were ineligible then) including 57-1 during his sophomore and junior seasons (27-0, 30-1), the best in ACC history. His senior year record was 22-6.
Scored 2,309 points (26.8 ppg) in 86 varsity games; including highs of 57 points as a senior, 41 as a junior and 40 as a sophomore
Averaged 35.6 ppg, including a 54-point high on the North Carolina State freshman team
Grabbed 694 rebounds (8.1 rpg) in 86 games
World University Games MVP (1973)
Enshrined in North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1982)
NCAA All-Decade Team of the 1970s

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Athletes - David Thompson

College highlights

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