1983 denver nuggets roster12/3/2023 ![]() ![]() NC State's game against the nationally 4th-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins in the 1974 ACC Tournament finale, in an era in which only conference champions were invited to the NCAA tournament, is considered one of the best college basketball games of all time. The alley-oop pass, now a staple of today's high-flying, above-the-rim game, was "invented" by Thompson and his NC State teammate Monte Towe, and first used as an integral part of the offense by NC State coach Norm Sloan to take advantage of Thompson's leaping ability. His nickname was "Skywalker" because of his incredible vertical leap. In the championship game they won easily over Marquette 76–64. In the semifinal game NCSU defeated the reigning national champions, UCLA, in double overtime. He then led the Wolfpack to a 30–1 season and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1974. Thompson led North Carolina State University to an undefeated season (27-0) in 1973, but the Wolfpack was banned from post-season play that year due to NCAA rules violations involving the recruiting of Thompson. Thompson is a first cousin of Alvin Gentry, both growing up in Shelby, North Carolina. He starred in the North Carolina Coaches Association's East-West All-Star Basketball Game in 1971. Thompson attended Crest Senior High School and he played for the school's Varsity Basketball team for four years. Michael Jordan said, "The whole meaning of vertical leap began with David Thompson." Bill Walton described Thompson as "Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James rolled into one". 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". ![]() He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. Thompson is one of the eight players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game. He was previously a star in college for North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to its first NCAA championship in 1974. 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. 3× Consensus first-team All-American ( 1973– 1975)ĭavid O'Neil Thompson (born July 13, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player.National college player of the year (1975).NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1974).
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