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 former professional basketball player from the United States. People often called him "Skywalker" because he could jump so high. He 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, David was a huge star in college. He led North Carolina State to their first ever NCAA championship in 1974. David Thompson is one of only ten players in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a single game! In 1996, he was honored by being added to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
His amazing jumping skills made him one of the best dunkers in the 1970s. This is how he got his famous nickname, "Skywalker." Even basketball legend Michael Jordan said that David Thompson was the reason people started talking about how high players could jump. Another famous player, Bill Walton, once said that Thompson was like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James all rolled into one!
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High School Basketball Star
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 player in a special all-star game for high school coaches. David grew up in Shelby, North Carolina, and is a cousin of Alvin Gentry, who became a well-known basketball coach.
College Success and the "Alley-Oop"
David Thompson led North Carolina State University to an amazing undefeated season in 1973. They won all 27 of their games! However, the team was not allowed to play in the postseason that year. This was because of some rules that the NCAA said were broken when David was recruited.
But David and his team came back strong. In 1974, they had a fantastic season with 30 wins and only 1 loss. They won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship! In the semifinal game, they beat the defending champions, UCLA, in a thrilling double-overtime game. Then, in the championship game, they easily defeated Marquette with a score of 76–64.
His nickname "Skywalker" truly showed his incredible jumping ability. David Thompson and his NC State teammate, Monte Towe, are credited with inventing the "alley-oop" pass. This move, where one player throws the ball high near the basket for another player to jump and dunk, is now a common part of basketball. Their coach, Norm Sloan, used it often to take advantage of David's amazing leaping skills.
One of the most famous college basketball games ever was NC State's match against the University of Maryland in 1974. At that time, only the champions of a conference could go to the NCAA tournament. Thompson and his teammate Tommy Burleson led their top-ranked team to a 103–100 win in overtime. This game was played without a shot clock or a three-point line. Even though Maryland shot very well, they lost. Because Maryland was such a strong team but couldn't go to the tournament, the NCAA decided to expand the tournament the very next season. This meant more teams could play, not just the conference winners.
David Thompson is seen as one of the greatest players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This conference has had many other famous players like Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan.
During David's college career, the slam dunk was actually against the rules! It was banned from 1967 to 1977. In 1975, during his last home game at NC State, David made a dunk. It was the only dunk of his college career. But the referees immediately called a technical foul, and the points didn't count.
NC State honored David Thompson by retiring his jersey number 44. This means no other men's basketball player at the school will ever wear that number again.
Professional Career Highlights
Playing for the Denver Nuggets (1975–1982)
In 1975, David Thompson was the top draft pick for two different leagues! He was picked first by the Virginia Squires in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and first by the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He decided to sign with the ABA's Denver Nuggets.
In 1976, David competed in the very first slam dunk contest. He finished second to Julius Erving, another legendary player. But David was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the ABA All-Star Game that year.
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 Julius Erving and the New York Nets. David Thompson played incredibly well, averaging 28.3 points per game. But the Nuggets lost the series 4–2. After the season, David was named the 1976 ABA Rookie of the Year.
A few months later, the ABA and NBA joined together in what was called the ABA–NBA merger. David continued to play for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. He was chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Game four times during his career.
On April 9, 1978, David had an amazing game. He scored 73 points against the Detroit Pistons! He was trying to win the NBA scoring title that year. However, another player, George Gervin, scored 63 points in a game played later that same day. Gervin ended up winning the scoring title by a tiny amount, less than 0.1 points per game.
After the 1977–78 season, David Thompson signed a huge contract. It was worth $4 million over five years, which was a record at the time. He missed some games in the 1979–80 season due to a foot injury. But he came back strong the next year, averaging 25.5 points per game.
Time with the Seattle SuperSonics (1982–1984)
In 1982, the Nuggets traded David to the Seattle SuperSonics. He had a bit of a comeback in his first year with Seattle. He was chosen for the 1982-83 All-Star game. His scoring numbers were lower than his best years in Denver, but he was still a valuable player. In his last playoff appearance that year, he averaged 12 points in a short series loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
David Thompson's career ended in 1984 due to a knee injury he got off the court.
After His Playing Career
After retiring from basketball, David Thompson worked with the Charlotte Hornets' community relations team in 1990. In 1992, at age 37, he played in a special game for former NBA players called the Legends Classic. However, he got a serious leg injury during the game. Because of injuries to players like David, the league stopped holding this event after 1993.
In 2003, David Thompson went back to North Carolina State University to finish his college degree in sociology. The next year, he made a film about his life called Skywalker. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. Later, in 2009, he had the honor of introducing Michael Jordan when Jordan was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Today, David works as a motivational speaker. He also takes part in events with the Charlotte Hornets and Denver Nuggets.
Family Life
David Thompson and his wife Cathy had two daughters, Erika and Brooke. David and his daughter Erika actually graduated from college together on December 17, 2003. His daughter Brooke was a contestant on a TV show called Global GUTS. Sadly, Cathy passed away in August 2016.
Career Statistics
David Thompson's first professional year (1975–1976) was in the ABA. After that, he played in the NBA because the two leagues merged.
Regular Season Stats
| Season | Team | Games Played | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per Game | Steals per Game | Blocks per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Denver (ABA) | 83 | 26.0 | 6.3 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| 1976–77 | Denver | 82 | 25.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| 1977–78 | Denver | 80 | 27.2 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| 1978–79 | Denver | 76 | 24.0 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| 1979–80 | Denver | 39 | 21.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 1980–81 | Denver | 77 | 25.5 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| 1981–82 | Denver | 61 | 14.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| 1982–83 | Seattle | 75 | 15.9 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| 1983–84 | Seattle | 19 | 12.6 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Career Total | 592 | 22.7 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games Played | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per Game | Steals per Game | Blocks per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Denver (ABA) | 13 | 26.4 | 6.4 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| 1977 | Denver | 6 | 24.7 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| 1978 | Denver | 13 | 25.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| 1979 | Denver | 3 | 28.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| 1982 | Denver | 3 | 11.7 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | Seattle | 2 | 12.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Career Total | 40 | 24.1 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | |
Awards and Honors
College Achievements
- Named National Player of the Year by The Sporting News (1975)
- Won the USBWA College Player of the Year award (1975)
- Chosen as a First-Team All-American three times (1973, 1974, 1975)
- Named AP National Player of the Year twice (1974, 1975)
- Won the Naismith Award (1975)
- Won the Adolph Rupp Trophy (1975)
- Named Helms Foundation Player of the Year twice (1974, 1975)
- Won the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year award (1975)
- Finalist for the James E. Sullivan Award (1974, 1975)
- Named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year three times (1973, 1974, 1975)
- Named ACC Athlete of the Year twice (1973, 1975)
- Chosen for the All-ACC First Team three times (1973, 1974, 1975)
- North Carolina State retired his jersey number 44 in 1975
- Led North Carolina State to the 1974 NCAA championship with a 30-1 record
- Named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NCAA Tournament (1974)
- Led his team to an amazing 79–7 record in his final three seasons
- Scored 2,309 points in 86 college games (26.8 points per game)
- Named MVP of the World University Games (1973)
- Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1982)
- Named to the NCAA All-Decade Team of the 1970s
- Chosen for the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team as one of the top 50 players in ACC history
ABA/NBA Achievements
- Named The Sporting News ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
- Won the ABA Rookie of the Year award (1976)
- Named to the All-ABA team (1976)
- Named MVP of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game
- Chosen for the All-NBA First Team twice (1977, 1978)
- Selected as an NBA All-Star four times
- Named MVP of the 1979 NBA All-Star Game
- He is the only player ever 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 an NBA record 32 points in one quarter against the Detroit Pistons (this record was broken by George Gervin on the same day)
- The Denver Nuggets retired his jersey number 33 on November 2, 1992
- Named Colorado Professional Athlete of the Year (1977)
- Scored 2,158 points in the ABA
- Scored 11,264 points in the NBA
See also
In Spanish: David Thompson (baloncestista) para niños
- List of National Basketball Association single-game scoring leaders
