David Thompson
(Born 1953)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1996
Card Shown:
2006-07 Upper Deck
Chronology
Position: SF/SG
Height: 6’4″
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David Thompson was nicknamed “Skywalker” because of his tremendous leaping ability, measured with a 44-inch (some say 48-inch) vertical leap. Basketball legend has it that he was able to grab a quarter off the top of the backboard while he was in college.
Thompson starred in college at North Carolina State and led the Wolfpack to an incredible 57-1 record during a two-year period that included a national championship. He played in the ABA and NBA during a nine-year professional career with the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics. David was a two-time All-NBA First Team selection.
Awards and Honors
- David starred at North Carolina State and was the first player to win the ACC Player of the Year award three times.
- Thompson led NC State to the 1974 NCAA championship, ending UCLA’s seven-year championship run. In the semifinals, the Wolfpack defeated UCLA and Bill Walton in double overtime 80-77.
- In 1974, and again in 1975, David was named the AP’s College Basketball Player of the Year.
- Thompson was the 1975-76 ABA Rookie of the Year for the Denver Nuggets. He was also named an ABA All-Star and the ABA All-Star MVP that year.
- The next year the Nuggets joined the NBA. David was a four-time NBA All-Star and won the NBA All-Star MVP award in 1979.
Points of Interest
- David’s 1972-73 team at NC State went 27-0 and became the first team to go undefeated and not win the NCAA championship. The Wolfpack was on probation that year and was not allowed to play in the tournament. The next year they went 30-1 and won the NCAA title.
- Legendary basketball great Michael Jordan selected Thompson, one of his basketball role models, to present him at his induction into the Hall of Fame.
- David was frustrated in college by the “Lew Alcindor rule” (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) which forbid players from dunking the ball. He once said that Kareem messed up all of his college highlight plays.
- Thompson scored 73 points in the final game of the 1977-78 NBA season to finish just behind George Gervin in the scoring race with 27.2 points per game. David’s 73 point game is the third highest in NBA history for a non-overtime game, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain (100 points) and Kobe Bryant (81 points).
- Thompson finished second to another high-flyer, Julius Erving, in the first-ever dunk contest. The event took place in 1976 at the ABA All-Star weekend.
Statistics
David Thompson Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Personal Autograph Interaction
At the 2024 Hall of Fame Enshrinement weekend, I met David Thompson at the Enshrinement ceremony pre-party. I saw him in the hallway and he graciously signed my card.
Thank you, David!
In-Person Autograph Photos
David signed this 2014-15 Upper Deck NCAA March Madness Collection card for me.