David Thompson (basketor)

David O' Neil Thompson (born on July 13rd, 1954 in Shelby, North Carolina) is a anciene star of the American tennis shoe with Denver Nuggets, as well in American Basketball Association (ABA) as in National Basketball Association (NBA), like with Seattle Supersonics.

University career

After having led the team of North Carolina State University to one season when the team remained unconquered (27-0) in 1973, it off led them to the NCAA Men' S Division I Basketball Championship in 1974, including one crushing victory over the legendary champions of the UCLAA University California At Los Angeles). Its nickname was " Skywalker" because of its incredible jumps. The master key in alley-oop, from now on traditional in the tennis shoe of high-flight, as well as the play above the ring were " inventés" by Thompson and its fellow-member of NC State, Towe Goes up, and for the first time was used like integral part of the offensive strategy by the trainer of NC State, Norm Sloan, in order to draw advantage from the capacities of Thompson.

The match which opposed against the University of Maryland (classified 4th at the time) at the time of the finale of tournament ACC, in 1974, at one time when only champions of conferences were invited to tournament NCAA, is regarded today as one of largest, if it is not one of largest the match of university tennis shoe of all times. Thompson and its fellow-member Tom Burleson in extremis led Wolfpack (classified 1st) to a victory (103-100) in additional time. Thomspon and Wolfpack was about to gain the National Championship this year while at the same time Maryland played in residence. The exclusion of the NCAA Tournament of Maryland had with their defeat (in spite of their very good national classification) was going to lead to the expansion of tournament NCAA as of the following season, while opening in particular with teams other than the champions of the league.

In a league which included talents such Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Tim Duncan, Christian Laettner and Len Bias, Thompson is very largely regarded as the largest player of the Atlantic Conference.

Thompson played tennis shoe at one time when the dunk was prohibited by the rule known as of " Lew Alcindor". In 1975, against the University of North Carolina with Charlotte, at the time of her last match match except conference, early in 3rd quarter time, Thompson carried out its first and last dunk of its university career, a basket immediately cancelled for technical fault. The trainer Norm Sloan made leave Thompson, under the acclamations of the public. The player more exciting history of the AAC, which had played during three years without achieving the act more exciting play, had just returned in the history.

Michael Jordan who grows later in Wilmington, North Carolina, known as that Thompson was its model as a player, when it was young. Several camps of basketbal directed by Thompson, Jordan often said to the other children " it was the type which I looked at when I had your âge".

Professional path

Thompson was drafté in first position as well by the ABA as the NBA in the drafts of 1975 of both leagues. It signed at Denver Nuggets, ABA. To explain its choice of the ABA rather than the NBA (the latter offered more money, but the ABA distributed the money of its contract in more spread out way), Thompson stated that when it met Hawks of Atlanta, the organization had the air practically interested, at the point to invite it to eat at… McDonald's.

Thompson and Julius Erving were the finalists of very first the slam dunk contest of the history of the NBA, contest which was held in McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, in 1976.Erving gained the victory by carrying out very first the dunk on the basis of the line of charity toss. Thompson, and it is unexplainable, had carried out dunks much more difficult with the heating, but not during the competition in itself - including a dunk where it held the ball in the hollow of its arm, raised it to the top of the ring and smashait it in the basket.

Thompson was selection four times for NBA All-Star Range, and reached its apogee at the time of the season of 1978. April 9th, 1978, the last day of the regular season, Thompson marked 73 points against the Detroit Pistons in an effort to gain the title of better marker of the NBA (it gained the title of little, held by George Gervin, of the San Antonio Spurs which marked 63 points in a match played a little later the same day). It also took along the Denver Nuggets until the playoffs, but they were beaten by the champions of Conference in title, the Seattle Supersonics.

After the season of 1978, Thompson signed a contract record for 4 million dollars over 5 years. Ca can appear little, but no player of tennis shoe had received as much money at the time. Despite everything, as from this moment, of the wounds as of persistent problems of drug-addiction threw it in full storm, with the detriment of what remained of its career NBA, which arrived at its end after the season 1983-1984. It was wounded seriously with the knee after a fall in the staircases of Studio 54, epicentre of the evenings New Yorkaises, with the antithesis of its humble beginnings. It tried a return in 1985, without success.

Life after the NBA

After its career NBA, Thompson continued to fight against problems of drug and alcohol, at the point to find itself in prison (for one short duration). With the encouragement of Pasteur who came to visit him in prison, it converts with Christianity and gave of the order in its life. Thompson devotes from now on its time to work with young players, helping them to reach its level and making so that they do not make his errors. Its autobiography, Skywalker , tell the tops and bottoms of its animated life.

Thompson was registered with the Basketball Hall off Famed as a player on May 6th, 1996.

Thompson turned over on the benches of the school to North Carolina State, and in 2003 it obtained a diploma of sociology, for which it missed only 7 points when it stopped its studies to be devoted to the basketball in 1975. It supplemented its studies during the first season of summer of 2003, finishing thus just before his/her daughter, Erika, do not complete her studies of applied arts during the second transfer of 2003.

Professional statistics

The first professional season of Thompson (1975-1976) proceeded in ABA. The remainder of its career, it played in NBA since both leagues, ABA and NBA, amalgamated in 1976.

College highlights

Three-year letter winner (1973 - 1975)
The Sporting News national Player off the Year (1975)
USBWA Player College off the Year (1975)
Consensus First-TEAM AlAmerica (1973, 1974, 1975) by Associated Press (AP), United Close International (UPI), Eastman Kodak, The Sporting News
AP National Player off the Year (1974, 1975)
UPI Player off the Year (1975)
Eastman Kodak Award (1975)
Naismith Award (1975)
Adolph Rupp Trophy (1975)
Coach & Athlete Magazine Player off the Year (1975)
Helms Foundation Player off the Year (1974, 1975)
National Association off Basketball Coaches Player off the Year (1975)
United States Basketball Writers Association Player off the Year (1975)
Dunlop Player off the Year (1975)
Sullivan Award finalist (1974, 1975)
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player off the Year (1973, 1974,1975)
ACC Athlete off the Year (1973, 1975)
All-ACC First TEAM (1973, 1974,1975)
Led North Carolina State to championship NCAA 1974 (30-1), 76-64 against Marquette University
Vainqueur of the semi-final against UCLA, marked 28 points
Marqua 21 points in championship against Marquette
Most Valuable Player (MVP), NCAA Tournament (1974)
Mena Wolfpack to a record of 79-7 during its last university season including 57-1 during its seasons of sophomore and junior (27-0, 30-1), a record in the history of the ACC. Its year of senior was also a record, 22-6.
Marked 2,309 points (26.8 ppg) in 86 university matches; including 57 points in only one match as a senior, 41 as a junior and 40 as a sophomore
Average of 35.6 ppg, including 54 points against North Carolina State
Caught 694 rebounds (8.1 rpg) out of 86 matches
World University Games MVP (1973)
Cité on the North Carolina Sports Hall off Famed (1982)
NCAA All-Decade TEAM off the 1970s

ABA/NBA highlights

The Sporting News ABA Rookie off the Year (1976)
ABA Rookie off the Year (1976)
AlABA (1976)
MVP, ABA All-Star Range (1976)
Took part in the first slam dunk contest of all times during the half-time of the ABA All-Star Range of 1976, finishing second behind Julius Erving
All-NBA First TEAM (1977, 1978)
Four times NBA All-Star
MVP, NBA All-Star Range (1979)
Seul player of the history named MVP at the same time with the ABA and NBA All-Star Ranges
Inscrivit it record of its career, 73 points, against Detroit
Registers another record NBA of 32 points in the second quarter-time against, a record beaten by George Gervin (33 against the New Orleans Jazz the same day) when Gervin gained the title of better marker for the year 1978 with 63 points.
Colorado Professional Athlete off the Year (1977)
Marked 2,158 points (26.0 ppg) in ABA
Marqua 11,264 points (22.1 ppg) in NBA
Choisit in first position by Atlanta at the time of draft NBA of 1975
Choisit in first position by Virginia' S at the time of draft ABA of 1975

External bonds

NBA.com Historical Player Information
1975 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA Player College off the Year

Random links: