David Thompson (basketball)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 purported 48-inch vertical leap.^{[citation needed]} 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 Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Tim Duncan, Christian Laettner, 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 performed 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 severely injured his knee falling down the steps of the notorious Studio 54, epicenter of the New York party scene and antithesis of his humble beginnings. 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] ABA/NBA highlights

The Sporting News ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
All-ABA (1976)
MVP, ABA All-Star Game (1976)
Competed in first ever slam dunk contest during half time of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, eventually taking second to Julius Erving
All-NBA First Team (1977, 1978)
Four-time NBA All-Star
MVP, NBA All-Star Game (1977, 1979)
Only player in history named MVP of both the ABA and NBA All-Star Games
Scored a career-high 73 points against Detroit (April 9, 1978)
Scored a then-NBA record 32 points in the second quarter against Detroit Pistons, a record that was broken by George Gervin (33 against New Orleans Jazz on the same day ) when Gervin won the 1978 scoring title with a 63-point output
The Nuggets retired his jersey number 33 (Nov. 2, 1992)
Colorado Professional Athlete of the Year (1977)
Scored 2,158 points (26.0 ppg) in the ABA
Scored 11,264 points (22.1 ppg) in the NBA
Atlanta's first pick in the 1975 NBA draft
Virginia's first pick in the 1975 ABA draft

[edit] See also

List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game

Preceded by: Barry Parkhill	ACC Athlete of the Year 1973	Succeeded by: Tony Waldrop
Preceded by: Bill Walton	NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 1974	Succeeded by: Richard Washington
Preceded by: Tony Waldrop	ACC Athlete of the Year 1975	Succeeded by: John Lucas
Preceded by: Bill Walton	Naismith College Player of the Year (men) 1975	Succeeded by: Scott May