David Thompson (basketball)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 13, 1954 Shelby, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crest (Shelby, North Carolina) |
| College | NC State (1972–1975) |
| NBA draft | 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Playing career | 1975–1984 |
| Position | Shooting guard / Small forward |
| Number | 33, 44 |
| Career history | |
| 1975–1982 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1982–1984 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 13,422 (22.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,446 (4.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,939 (3.3 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
|
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
|
David O'Neil Thompson (born July 13, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played with the Denver Nuggets of both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA. He was previously a star in college for North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to its first NCAA championship in 1974. Thompson is one of the five players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game.
Thompson attended Crest Senior High School and he played for the school's Varsity Basketball team for four years. Thompson is a first cousin of Alvin Gentry, both growing up in Shelby, North Carolina.
Thompson led North Carolina State University to an undefeated season (27-0) in 1973, but the Wolfpack was banned from post-season play that year due to NCAA rules violations involving the recruiting of Thompson. He then led the Wolfpack to a 30-1 season and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1974. In the semifinal game NCSU defeated the reigning national champions, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins in double overtime. In the championship game they won easily over Marquette 76-64. His nickname was "Skywalker" because of his incredible 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's leaping ability.
NC State's game against the nationally 4th-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins 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 and teammate Tommy Burleson led the #1-ranked Wolfpack to a 103-100 win in overtime. Thompson and the Wolfpack would go on to win the national championship that year. 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.
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