David Thompson

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Lore & Background

Thompson's nickname 'Skywalker' was earned through his incredible vertical leap, a feat Michael Jordan described as the origin of the meaning of vertical leap. Bill Walton once called him 'Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James rolled into one.' At NC State, he and teammate Monte Towe 'invented' the alley-oop pass to exploit Thompson's leaping ability under coach Norm Sloan. In college, he led the Wolfpack to a 30–1 season and the 1974 NCAA title, defeating UCLA in double overtime in the semifinals. One of his most famous collegiate dunks occurred in his final home game against UNC-Charlotte in 1975 but was disallowed by a technical foul due to the NCAA's dunk ban, which is distinct from the 'Lew Alcindor rule' (the latter specifically refers to goaltending regulations). In the professional ranks, he was named MVP of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, receiving a credenza television set as his prize; however, he did not participate in the first-ever Slam-Dunk Competition at that game and was not a runner-up.

In Their Own Story

On April 9, 1978, in an effort to win the NBA scoring title on the final day of the regular season, Thompson scored 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. Despite this historic performance, he lost the title by less than 0.1 points per game to George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs, who scored 63 points in a game played later that same day. Following the 1977–78 season, Thompson signed a then-record contract extension paying him $4 million over five years. However, his career trajectory shifted after a foot injury caused him to miss the final 36 games of the 1979–80 season. His substance abuse problems began due to feelings of 'loneliness and isolation' following this injury, becoming public during his time with the Seattle SuperSonics. After being traded in June 1982, he missed nearly all of the 1983–84 season for drug rehabilitation. A career-ending knee injury in 1984 resulted from him being shoved down a stairwell during a fight at Studio 54.

Reader's Guide

David Thompson's professional journey began when he was the No. 1 draft pick of both the ABA (Virginia Squires) and NBA (Atlanta Hawks) in 1975, though he signed with the Denver Nuggets. He played in the ABA for one season, winning Rookie of the Year, before continuing with the Nuggets post-merger where he made four NBA All-Star games. In 1982, the Nuggets traded him to the Seattle SuperSonics for Bill Hanzlik and a draft pick due to a scoring dip to 14.9 points. He experienced a brief revival in Seattle, averaging 15.9 points in 1982–83 before his career ended with a knee injury and subsequent retirement. Post-retirement, he returned to NC State in 2003 to complete his sociology degree, sharing the stage with his daughter Erika at graduation.

Did You Know?

• Thompson received a credenza television set as his prize for winning the MVP of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game.
• He and teammate Monte Towe 'invented' the alley-oop pass to take advantage of Thompson's leaping ability at NC State.
• Thompson scored 73 points on April 9, 1978, but lost the NBA scoring title by less than 0.1 points per game to George Gervin.
• In 2023, Thompson was honored with a statue outside Reynolds Coliseum at NC State, joining Jim Valvano, who already had a statue there.
• His career-ending knee injury occurred after he was shoved down a stairwell during a fight at Studio 54.