David Thompson (basketball)
American basketball player (born 1954) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David O'Neil Thompson (born July 13, 1954) is an American former 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 eight players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
 Thompson with NC State in 1974 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1954-07-13) July 13, 1954 (age 69) Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |
| 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: 1st round, 1st overall pick |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Playing career | 1975–1984 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 33, 44 |
| Career history | |
| 1975–1982 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1982–1984 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 13,422 (22.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,446 (4.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,939 (3.3 apg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Thompson was known for his exceptional leaping ability that enabled him to become one of the game's premier dunkers in the 1970s and earned him the nickname of "Skywalker". Michael Jordan said, "The whole meaning of vertical leap began with David Thompson."[1] Bill Walton described Thompson as "Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James rolled into one".[1]