David Thompson (born July 13, 1954 in Boiling Springs, North Carolina) is an American professional basketball star who played for the Denver Nuggets of both the NBA and ABA, as well as the Seattle Supersonics. He led North Carolina State University to an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1974.

Thompson is widely considered the greatest ACC player in history and one of the greatest college players ever. His nickname was Skywalker because of his incredible 44-inch vertical leap.

He was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player on May 6, 1996.

In 1978, Thompson signed a record-breaking $4 million five-year contract, more than any basketball player had previously been paid. And, as he soon discovered to his cost, that sort of money can buy an awful lot of cocaine and alcohol. His addictions had an inevitable destructive effect on his career, eventually landing him in prison.

With encouragement from the prison pastor, he became a committed Christian and put his life back in order. Thompson now devotes his time to working with young basketball players, helping them to aspire to his achievements and avoid his mistakes. His autobiography, Skywalker, charts the highs and lows of his eventful life.

College Highlights

• Three-year letter winner (1973-1975)
• The Sporting News national Player of the Year (1975)
• Consensus First-Team All-America (1973, 1974, 1975) by AP, UPI, Eastman Kodak, The Sporting News
• AP National Player of the Year (1974, 1975)
• UPI Player of the Year (1975)
• Eastman Kodak Award (1975)
• Naismith Award (1975)
• Adolph Rupp Award (1975)
• Coach & Athlete Magazine Player of the Year (1975)
• Helms Foundation Player of the Year (1974, 1975)
• NABC Player of the Year (1975)
• USBWA Player of the Year (1975)
• Dunlop Player of the Year (1975)
• Sullivan Award finalist (1974, 1975)
• ACC Player of the Year (1973, 1974, 1975)
• ACC Athlete of the Year (1973, 1975)
• All-ACC First Team (1973, 1974, 1975)
• N.C. State retired his jersey number 44 (1975)
• Led North Carolina State to the 1974 NCAA championship (30-1 record), 76-64 over Marquette
• In national semi-final win over UCLA, scored 28 points
• In championship game, scored 21 points against Marquette
• MVP, NCAA Tournament (1974)
• Led Wolfpack to a 79-7 record, including 57-1 over final two seasons (27-0, 30-1), the best in ACC history
• Scored 2,309 points (26.8 ppg) in 86 varsity games; including highs of 57 points as a senior, 41 as a junior and 40 as a sophomore
• Averaged 35.6 ppg, including a 54-point high on the N.C. State freshman team
• Grabbed 694 rebounds (8.1 rpg) in 86 games
• World University Games MVP (1973)
• Enshrined in North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1982)
• NCAA All-Decade Team of the 1970s

Pro Playing Highlights

• The Sporting News ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
• ABA Rookie of the Year (1976)
• All-ABA (1976)
• MVP, ABA All-Star Game (1976)
• All-NBA First Team (1977, 1978)
• Four-time NBA All-Star
• MVP, NBA All-Star Game (1977, 1979)
• Only player in history named MVP of both the ABA and NBA All-Star Games
• Scored a career-high 73 points against Detroit (April 9, 1978)
• Scored a then-NBA record 32 points in the second quarter against Detroit Pistons, a record that was broken by George Gervin (33 against New Orleans Jazz on the same day ) when Gervin won the 1978 scoring title with a 63-point output
• Nuggets retired his jersey number 33 (Nov. 2, 1992)
• Colorado Professional Athlete of the Year (1977)
• Scored 2,158 points (26.0 ppg) in the ABA
• Scored 11,264 points (22.1 ppg) in the NBA
• Atlanta's first pick in the 1975 NBA draft
• Virginia's first pick in the 1975 ABA draft