David Thompson (basketball) facts for kids
Thompson with NC State in 1974
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 13, 1954 Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |
| High school | Crest (Shelby, North Carolina) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | NC State (1972–1975) |
| NBA Draft | 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Pro career | 1975–1984 |
| 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 (22.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,446 (4.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,939 (3.3 apg) |
David O'Neil Thompson (born July 13, 1954) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He was known by the nickname "Skywalker" because of his amazing jumping ability. Thompson played for the Denver Nuggets in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA.
Before turning pro, he was a college star at North Carolina State. He led his team, the Wolfpack, to their first ever NCAA championship in 1974. Thompson is one of only ten players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game. He was added to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Many people, including basketball legend Michael Jordan, said that David Thompson changed the game. Jordan mentioned that "The whole meaning of vertical leap began with David Thompson." Another great player, Bill Walton, even said Thompson was like "Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James rolled into one."
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High School Basketball
David Thompson went to Crest Senior High School. He played on the school's main basketball team for four years. In 1971, he was a star in the North Carolina Coaches Association's East-West All-Star Basketball Game. Thompson grew up in Shelby, North Carolina.
College Basketball Success
Thompson led North Carolina State University to a perfect season in 1973, winning all 27 games. However, the team could not play in the postseason that year. This was due to NCAA rules violations related to how Thompson was recruited.
In 1974, he led the Wolfpack to an amazing 30–1 season. They won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. In the semifinal game, NC State beat the defending champions, UCLA, in a thrilling double overtime game. They then easily won the championship game against Marquette with a score of 76–64.
His nickname "Skywalker" came from his incredible ability to jump high. The alley-oop pass, which is very common in basketball today, was first used by Thompson and his teammate Monte Towe. Their coach, Norm Sloan, used it to take advantage of Thompson's amazing leaping skills.
One of the most famous college basketball games ever was NC State's game against the #4 ranked University of Maryland in the 1974 ACC Tournament final. Back then, only conference champions went to the NCAA tournament. Thompson and his teammate Tommy Burleson led the #1-ranked Wolfpack to a 103–100 win in overtime. This game was played without a shot clock or a three-point line. Maryland shot very well, but still lost. Because Maryland, a highly ranked team, missed the NCAA Tournament, the tournament was expanded the next season to include more teams.
Thompson is seen as one of the greatest players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference. This conference has had many famous players like Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan.
During Thompson's college career, the slam dunk was actually against the rules from 1967 to 1977. In his final home game in 1975, Thompson made a dunk. It was the only one of his college career, but it was immediately disallowed, and his team got a penalty.
NC State has retired Thompson's number 44 jersey. It is the only number retired by the school's men's basketball team. In 2023, a statue of Thompson was placed outside Reynolds Coliseum. He was the first player to receive this honor.
College Statistics
| Season | Points/G | Rebounds/G | FG % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–73 | 24.7 | 8.1 | .569 |
| 1973–74 | 26.0 | 7.9 | .547 |
| 1974–75 | 29.9 | 8.2 | .546 |
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Denver Nuggets (1975–1982)
In 1975, David Thompson was the top draft pick for both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He decided to sign with the ABA's Denver Nuggets. He competed against Julius Erving in the first-ever Slam-Dunk Competition in 1976. Thompson finished second but was named the MVP of the ABA All-Star Game.
That season, the Nuggets had a great record of 60 wins and 24 losses. They made it to the 1976 ABA Finals. In the finals, they played against Erving's New York Nets. Thompson played very well, averaging 28.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Nuggets lost the series 4–2. After the season, Thompson was named the 1976 ABA Rookie of the Year.
After the ABA and NBA joined together in 1976, Thompson continued to play for the Nuggets. He was chosen for the NBA All-Star Game four times. On April 9, 1978, Thompson scored 73 points in a game against the Detroit Pistons. He was trying to win the NBA scoring title, but he lost it by a tiny amount to George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs, who scored 63 points in a game played later that same day.
After the 1977–78 season, Thompson signed a huge contract. He missed some games in the 1979–80 season due to a foot injury. He came back strong the next year, averaging 25.5 points in 77 games.
Playing for the Seattle SuperSonics (1982–1984)
In 1982, the Nuggets traded Thompson to the Seattle SuperSonics. He had a good first year in Seattle, making the 1982–83 All-Star game. He averaged 15.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3 assists. This was his last time playing in the postseason.
In 1984, Thompson missed almost the entire season due to personal challenges. When he returned, he played 19 games for the SuperSonics. He averaged 12.6 points per game. An injury to his knee that happened off the court in 1984 forced him to retire from basketball.
After His Playing Career
After retiring, Thompson worked with the Charlotte Hornets in 1990. He also played in the Legends Classic during the 1992 NBA All-Star Weekend. However, he suffered a serious leg injury during that game. Because of injuries to players, the league stopped holding the Legends Classic after 1993.
In 2003, Thompson went back to North Carolina State University to finish his degree in sociology. The next year, a film about his life called Skywalker was made. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on May 6, 1996. He also introduced Michael Jordan when Jordan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. Today, David Thompson works as a motivational speaker. He also takes part in events with the Charlotte Hornets and Denver Nuggets.
Personal Life
David Thompson has two daughters, Erika and Brooke, with his late wife Cathy. He and his daughter Erika graduated from college together on December 17, 2003. His daughter Brooke was a participant on a TV show called Global GUTS.
Career Statistics
Thompson's first year as a professional (1975–1976) was in the ABA. After the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, he played the rest of his career in the NBA.
Regular Season Stats
| Bold | Shows career bests |
| Season | Team | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Field Goal % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Denver (ABA) | 83 | — | 37.4 | 26.0 | 6.3 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 | .515 |
| 1976–77 | Denver | 82 | — | 36.6 | 25.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | .507 |
| 1977–78 | Denver | 80 | — | 37.8 | 27.2 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .521 |
| 1978–79 | Denver | 76 | — | 35.1 | 24.0 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 1.1 | .512 |
| 1979–80 | Denver | 39 | — | 31.8 | 21.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .468 |
| 1980–81 | Denver | 77 | — | 34.0 | 25.5 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | .506 |
| 1981–82 | Denver | 61 | 5 | 34.0 | 14.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | .486 |
| 1982–83 | Seattle | 75 | 64 | 20.4 | 15.9 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | .481 |
| 1983–84 | Seattle | 19 | 0 | 28.7 | 12.6 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | .539 |
| Career | 592 | 69 | 32.8 | 22.7 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | .505 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games Played | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Field Goal % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Denver (ABA) | 13 | 39.1 | 26.4 | 6.4 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | .536 |
| 1977 | Denver | 6 | 39.5 | 24.7 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | .463 |
| 1978 | Denver | 13 | 37.0 | 25.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 1.6 | .450 |
| 1979 | Denver | 3 | 40.7 | 28.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | .551 |
| 1982 | Denver | 3 | 22.0 | 11.7 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | .455 |
| 1983 | Seattle | 2 | 32.5 | 12.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | .360 |
| Career | 40 | 37.0 | 24.1 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | .485 | |
Awards and Honors
College Highlights
- The Sporting News National Player of the Year (1975)
- USBWA College Player of the Year (1975)
- First-Team All-America (1973, 1974, 1975)
- AP National Player of the Year (1974, 1975)
- UPI Player of the Year (1975)
- Naismith Award (1975)
- Adolph Rupp Trophy (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)
- 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)
- NC State retired his jersey number 44 (1975)
- Led NC State to the 1974 NCAA championship
- Most Valuable Player (MVP), NCAA Tournament (1974)
- Scored 2,309 points (26.8 points per game) in 86 college games
- World University Games MVP (1973)
- Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1982)
- Named to the NCAA All-Decade Team of the 1970s
- Named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team
ABA and NBA Highlights
- The Sporting News ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
- ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
- All-ABA (1976)
- MVP, 1976 ABA All-Star Game
- All-NBA First Team (1977, 1978)
- Four-time NBA All-Star
- MVP, 1979 NBA All-Star Game
- Only player to be 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 one quarter against Detroit
- The Nuggets retired his jersey number 33 (November 2, 1992)
- Colorado Professional Athlete of the Year (1977)
- Scored 2,158 points (26.0 points per game) in the ABA
- Scored 11,264 points (22.1 points per game) in the NBA
See also
In Spanish: David Thompson (baloncestista) para niños
- List of National Basketball Association single-game scoring leaders
