Happy 71st Birthday to David Thompson
- Jake C
- Jul 13
- 4 min read
Cover photo: David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets dunking in the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest. The contest took place on January 27, 1976 at Denver's McNichols Arena. Photo credit: Getty Images
An ABA and NBA legend celebrates a birthday on July 13 as David “Skywalker” Thompson turns 71.
Thompson, who competed in the first ever Slam Dunk Contest in 1976, was renowned for his leaping ability. At 6 feet, 4 inches tall, he possessed a 44-inch vertical leap. He was also one of the great early scorers in ABA/NBA history.
A native of Shelby, N.C., Thompson was a star player at Crest Senior High School. In 1971, he played in the North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star Game.
Thompson attended North Carolina State, where he played three years - 1972-73, 1973-74, and 1974-75. As a sophomore, Thompson averaged 24.7 points and 8.1 rebounds (56.7% FG, 82.5% FT). In his junior season, Thompson’s 26.0 points were first in the nation (54.7% FG) and he averaged 7.9 rebounds. The Wolfpack went undefeated and made the NCAA championship game, where they faced Marquette University and emerged victorious 76-64. Thompson was the 1974 NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
As a senior, Thompson again led the country in scoring (29.9 points per game, 54.6% shooting). He was for the second consecutive year a 1st team All-American and this time was also the Associated Press Player of the Year. Thompson was named ACC Player of the Year three times, in 1973, 1974, and 1975. In a game against the University of Buffalo in 1974, he scored 57 points. On December 6, 2023, his alma mater erected a statue of him outside of Reynolds Coliseum. Phil Spence, a teammate of Thompson’s for two years at NC State, said in an interview that having Thompson created a lopsided situation for opponents.
“We had an unfair advantage because it was six against five,” said Spence. The former Thompson teammate also told a story in the interview about how Spence grabbed a ladder and held a dollar bill in his hand. Thompson, with four quarters in his hand, jumped and placed the quarters on top of the backboard and on his way down grabbed the dollar bill out of Spence’s hand.
Thompson was drafted No. 1 overall in 1975 by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks, however, who also drafted center Marvin Webster with the third overall pick, were in a bind in trying to sign Thompson as they were still reeling from a $400,000 franchise fine from 1972-73, a fine that was levied because the organization signed Julius Erving despite the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks held Erving's draft rights. On July 9, 1975, Thompson signed with the Denver Nuggets for six years at $3 million.
On October 24, 1975, Thompson made his ABA debut, his first of 83 games that season, a campaign in which he averaged 26.0 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 37.4 minutes per game. Thompson was Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting. He tied for second along with his teammate Bobby Jones, and the San Antonio Spurs' James Silas. Erving won the award.
For his second and third seasons, Thompson was named to the All-NBA 1st team, and in 1978-79 made his third consecutive NBA All-Star Game and fourth overall.
David Thompson Stats from 1976-1979
1976-77: 25.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 50.7% FG, 36.6 minutes, 82 games, All-Star, All-NBA 1st team
1977-78: 27.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 52.1% FG, 37.8 minutes, 80 games, All-Star, 3rd in MVP voting
1978-79: 24.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 51.2% FG, 35.1 minutes, 76 games, All-Star
Thompson played three more seasons in Denver, averaging 21.5 points per game in 1979-80 (4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 39 games, 31.8 minutes, 46.8% FG), 25.5 points per game in 1980-81 (3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 77 games, 34 minutes, 50.6% FG), and in 1981-82 in 61 games (20.4 minutes per game) averaging 14.9 points on 48.6% shooting. Thompson missed forty-three games in 1979-80 due to plantar fasciitis.
In June of 1982, Thompson was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Wally Walker. Thompson enjoyed one final all-star season in 1982-83, averaging 15.9 points on 48.1% shooting in 28.7 minutes per game, starting 64 of 75 games.
Thompson suffered a fall in March of 1984, resulting in torn ligaments in his left knee. Because of the injury, he appeared in only nineteen games in his final NBA season of 1983-84. He scored at least 20 points four times in his final campaign, including a 32-point game (13-of-18 from the field) on February 29, 1984 against the Dallas Mavericks.
In his eight NBA seasons, Thompson averaged 22.1 points on 50.4% shooting in 509 games (32.0 minutes per game). He played 498 career games as a Denver Nugget and averaged 24.1 points on 50.7% shooting in 33.9 minutes per game. Overall in nine professional seasons including the ABA and NBA, Thompson averaged 22.7 points on 50.5% shooting in 592 games (32.8 minutes).
On April 9, 1978 in a game against the Detroit Pistons at Detroit’s Cobo Arena, Thompson made 28-of-38 shots and 17-of-20 free-throws in 43 minutes, finishing with 73 points while also grabbing 7 rebounds. The 73 points are tied with Wilt Chamberlain (two times) and Luka Doncic (January 26, 2024) for the fourth-most points scored in a single game in NBA history.
In 1982, Thompson was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and in 2003 was recognized as a member of the ACC’s 50 Anniversary Men’s Basketball Team. Also in 2003, he was named a top 10 athlete in the history of the ACC. He was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 1996, Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of the ABA’s greatest scorers and original high flyers who popularized the slam dunk as the NBA grew in the post-merger era.
Happy 71st birthday, David Thompson.
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