I went to school with his daughters. He's an unbelievable person, got the chance to know him, and play with him in pick-up games. My high school coach was his teammate Bobby Jones. Great character guys for a young black kid.
Street Vol.2 introduced David Thompson and a bunch of other old school legends to me when I was young. Very under-appreciated Nuggets legend and talent in general. Definitely one of the predecessors to Michael Jordan.
Volume 2! Yes sir! Same. Gervin taught me the finger roll, and when I was 14, I was finger rolling at the rim, and always tapped the top of the rim with my fingers. I still have decent bounce now, but I had to have had at least a 30 something inch vert when I was a freshman in HS. I love that game for teaching me how to play the way that I did. Nowadays, kids play 2K, and emulate the Curry slide, from 4 point range. Things were different back then. 🙏🏾
Hot damn, you know the customer's serious when he rivals as a rookie no less than prime Dr. J! He drove to the paint as fastly as an arrow and his shooting form was so smooth. How sad that drug and lack of luck killed a legend...
As a Maryland Terrapin fan, can attest that David Thompson was the greatest college player I ever lay eyes on. Maryland had five NBA players on that 74' squad, lost its first game of season to UCLA by one at Pauley (Walton and seven other NBA players), North Carolina at Carmichael (seven NBA players) and of course NC State. Maryland crushed Duke and North Carolina in ACC tournament only to lose a heartbreaker to Thompson and NC State (3 times a charm) for the right to represent the ACC in the dance. Back then only the winner of ACC tournament moved on. David Thompson was an absolute stud at NC State and reason the greatest Maryland team ever failed to make the NCAA tournament.
You can tell Michael Jordan modeled his game after David "Skywalker" Thompson, especially his college game, David Thompson and DrJ were the first players with hang time!
Great video! As a Nuggets fan, Skywalker is an absolute legend here in Colorado and you can still catch him in a Nuggets game from time to time. Here are a couple of other old-school guys who should have their own videos soon in my opinion. Walt Bellamy Connie Hawkins Paul Westphal Bob Lanier Dennis Johnson Paul Silas Maurice Lucas Jack Sikma
I grew up in Colorado (Denver area) watching the Nuggets with DT, Issel, and Bobby Jones. A friend of my family was one of the part owners of the Nuggets, and when he didn't go to games he would give them to me and my dad. We were 4th row behind the scorers bench just to one side of mid-court. Hell of a view, and you could hear the players trash talking each other. DT was pretty quiet, let his game do the talking. But Issel had a mouth on him. Jones was totally quiet. When the McGinnis for Jones trade happened I told the family friend that the Nuggets made their biggest mistake ever. A couple of years later he admitted that the trade was a major mistake. But they did it because Bobby Jones had some health issues come up, and they were afraid something might happen with him. Jones went to the 76ers and win a NBA Championship with them a couple of years later. Jones was considered one of the best defensive players in the league at the time, and Denver traded him to the team with the best offensive player in Dr. J. Another thing I told the family friend was a mistake. Anytime Jones was matched against Dr. J. he would shut him down or come close to it. When Jones played for the Nuggets he was the secret ingredient to wins, he would take on the best player/scorer and shut them down. This left Issel and DT to go on scoring rampages. I saw both ABA and NBA games with the Nuggets. Those were great times. And the NBA Western Conference finals against the Trailblazers (Bill Walton) was amazing. I saw (on TV) DT go and stuff Walton on a play. Everybody's jaws hit the ground when DT jumped up and erased Walton's shot. He truly was/is the original "Skywalker."
"Anytime Jones was matched against Dr. J. he would shut him down or come close to it."-----According to basketball reference Dr. J averaged 25.8 pts on 51.7% shooting against Bobby Jones over 30 games. But I am a fan of Jones.
I went to a basketball camp at the University of Denver in 1978, where David Thompson coached our team for a couple games. His jumping ability was unreal.
Yes, the addiction was a huge impact, but it was the knee injury in an era with archaic surgery and rehab methods coupled with terrible shoes. Even without the addiction, he wouldn't have been the same after the injury. In the modern era, his knee would've been scoped and he would've been back to near or full capabilitity quickly.
The David Thompson story involves a certain amount of self-inflicted issues, but that knee injury occurred right about the time that addiction issue deepened into self-destruction. He lost some height off his remarkable elevation as a result, a factor that defined his game. His midrange jumper was good enough, but his fearlessness at going to the hole was what created the highlights in his career. I didn't get to see much of his play in the NBA before that injury because all most of America watched was the single Game of the Week on CBS. Even my hometown Houston Rockets didn't have a local TV deal until the 1980 season. But his days at NC State were eye-opening. Watching him make layups with his head nearly at basket-level blew my 20-something mind. Because of the lack of national NCAA basketball coverage, America couldn't see what some call the greatest college basketball of the 1970s, the ACC championship game between the Wolfpack and Lefty Driesell's Maryland. It was a 103-100 triumph for the eventual college champion, a score that featured no threes at all. I could go on about how the 1980s ruined college hoops, but some other time, perhaps. The David Thompson story could have rivaled Jordan's, but was not meant to be.
I was in HS on the west coast when David was in College. We didn’t have no internet or RUclips in those days. We barely had TV. But I remember talking about Thompson a lot with friends while playing basketball
I was at his first game with the nuggets him and Monte Towe , Marvin Webster was center , mack Calvin Byron beck Ralph Simpson, Larry brown head coach God those were the good ole days. I've waited over 50 years to see my nuggs today as champions
I KNOW THE FEELING I FOLLOWED GEORGE ICEMAN GERVIN SINCE ICE WAS PLAYING FOR THE VIRGINIA SQUIRES JANUARY 1973 AND I WAS AT THE HALL OF FAME WHEN ICE WAS INDUCTED MAY 1996 AND SKYWALKER WAS INDUCTED THE SAME NIGHT
Skywalker was my favorite as a kid. Tried to model my game after his. Unfortunately while Thompson was blessed with a 48 inch vertical, I was cursed with a 4 inch vertical earning me the nickname of Groundhugger.
ABA was so fun . Gervin , Dr J , Thompson, Barry, Gilmore. Moses, many more. I'm from Oakland CA we had the Oaks (champs) . Man kinda like a hockey game on sneakers . Body checking and fights . NBA players didn't want the teams or players from the ABA in the league before the merger. ABA was wild , 3pt shot, running dunking , by everyone not just a few. NBA players knew it was going to be a fight for their job with all the talent entering from the ABA plus the college draft. Made for good entertaiment
David Thompson is an exceptional person. He coached youth basketball for years and I went through his training camp. An amazing person and coach. He had a talent for seeing peoples natural skill set and teaching them how to use it to their advantage.
Of course I know about Skywalker David Thompson that is Michael Jordan idol the greatest leaper in history the man was a beast he was the reason we know about vertical leap and the alley opp heart broke knowing that he didn't finish his career due to drugs
Most don't know that he had locked down the starting SG spot with the Pacers in '85 before the public intoxication charge, which from the few accounts I've ever read was a bs charge. He was tearing it up in Indy trading camp and then they just cut him. I want to say Donnie Walsh was the Pacers coach then.
I was one year behind Thompson at State. Saw every home game in 74. One of the favorite things my buddies and I used to do was to watch practice in Reynolds. The real show was afterwards with the guys goofing around doing tricks. Thompson was unbelievable!
Excellent video! Here are few other old school names I'd love to see featured: Buck Williams, Sleepy Floyd, Kiki Vandeweghe, Kelly Tripucka, John Bagley (deep cut), Jeff Malone, and Terry Cummings.
The Internet is so full of falsehoods like this headline! Yes, David Thompson's magnificence as a player was probably " shortened " due to a drug problem, but " Lost To Addiction " is a crazy untrue statement! So, first of all he was a college superstar, an NBA superstar for 8 or 9 years who finished averaging about 23 points a game. He was like a combination Dr J and MJ an a leaper of which nobody had ever seen before. He became the highest paid athlete in any sport for a reason and most players in the NBA will never have the productive career he had. " Lost " the only one lost was the person who wrote this false and scandalous headline.
Excessive euphemisms just to raise the eyebrows and gain those pesky Likes. Fans who watched DT and his peers live back in the day know what impact those players had on the game as a whole. Their Legacies remain solid and intact.
Yeah I live in the same county in NC that he went to hs in and he's been doing good and giving drug speeches since I was in school back in the early 90's.
This is way when the new folks start talking about the best players I walk away . There are so many players they haven’t seen and experienced. If you didn’t see old NBA/ ABA games you can’t speak about the best because you missed so much and what you did see from the older league you saw when the players were on the end of their journey or on film only.
The real truth about the dunking ban was that it was Alcindor (later Abdul Jabbar). The NCAA had plenty of big guys before him--none bigger or badder than Wilt. No, it wasn't those guys. It was guys similar (but before) Thompson--smaller Black players slamming it everywhere. The basketball establishment just couldn't cope with that. One thing that isn't brought out enough in this video: David could shoot the rock. Think about all those short- and mid-range jumpers you saw, mostly over guys. Yes, he was a spectacular leaper and an amazing dunker. But, as he showed in college, he could score from anywhere, not just at the rim.
8:05 Man can you imagine how different the Hawks franchise would be if they had Dr.J and Skywalker to team with Pistol Pete? That's a potential dynasty with just two of them on the same team let alone all three.
Oh my God Pistol would be feeding alley oops all game from every angle of the court let alone get points for himself being he was a scoring machine. Plus his passing game was enigmatic too. Dr. J and David would have a field day on that court.
@@rocknroll7065 Yeah Wilt did. Even more impressively he was in his thirties and already had knee surgery which sapped him of a good amount of his athletic ability.
Artis Gilmore played his first two years of college ball at Gardner-Webb Junior College at that time ( now Gardner- Webb University) which is only 3 miles from David Thompsons home as a young boy. Gilmore married a girl from Davids high school Crest High School. Gardner-Webb was one of Thompsons short list of colleges to attend , but NC State won out .
Man if he never got hurt........... Dude was a BEAST... I feel he would have reached at least 30,000 points had he did not have to retire at 29..... He was in a lane of his own... Please do one on Ben Wallace
@19:40 The Nuggets executives told David Thompson to apologize to the fans for having a subpar season. The nerve! Those people must have thought they were slave masters and Thompson should obey. I hope that he didn't.
David Thompson might as well be a fictional character to me, since I didn’t start watching the NBA until 1981 when he was leaving the Nuggets. I can understand the DT Skywalker hype. He had a better college career than Jordan. He was the #1 pick of both leagues. His first five years were as good or better than MJ’s. Good video. Thanks.
As a rookie, this man lead the Nuggets to the ABA Finals against Dr.J's NY Nets, averaging 28ppg. Talk about a promising start to a career. Unfortunate that his career went down the way it did.
@@vincewilson8969 been an NBA and rap fan since the 90s but good luck with the pity party. Ps rule changes helped MJ, so I guess the big man can't get a break.
@jojonodancer the rules were for all players not just white or black. Where ya'll get the rule change racist stuff from. Big Red Walton was an unstoppable white boy, Pistol Pete Maravich, Tom McMillan, mitch kupcek, there were helluva white boys. Rick Robey led Indiana to the last undefeated championship season in 1976 and no one has duplicate it
@@andresdelportillo9917 Ummm, dumbass..."Prototype" means a model built to make others later. Therefore, dummy, the prototype is the first of his kind. Thompson came BEFORE Little Mikey, Jordansexual. 🙄🙄🙄
Yes! I was hoping you would do this one. Definitely one of the biggest what if stories in NBA history. Crazy hops and could shoot the lights out, should have been an all time great. Dr. J started his game to try to catch Thompson's scoring 0/6 and wanted to just concede the scoring title to Thompson but the coach insisted he kept chucking and even benched other players for taking shots that night. When Thompson had 53 points at halftime on 20/21 from the field the Pistons coach started quadruple teaming him just so he wouldn't break Wilt's record on his watch
@@aarondigby5054 The 100 points in a game record that still stands was what the Detroit coach was trying to stop. Thompson's ridiculous first half had him on pace. Gervin and Thompson were just fighting over that year's scoring title. Gervin needed 59 points to take the scoring title after Thompson's game, and needed to chuck up 49 attempts to do so
Probably my all-time favorite college player the guy was an absolute freak could jump out of the gym had a good jump shot I know he was MJ's favorite player I think at the time he had a 46 inch vertical absolute freak of nature Superstar until he messed with the blow! The good thing for him it didn't kill him like it did Lynn bias!
So, you outlaw dunking to keep Kareem from dominating the sport with no unfair advantage, just his God-given ability?? Wonder if they ever considered outlawing home runs in baseball since Babe Ruth was hitting more than anyone?
Once upon a time the highest paid player in the league during the 70s. Couldn't leave that nose candy alone, so much talent that we can only imagine what could have been or should have been. He still managed to have somewhat a decent pro career
Great to make a portrait of David Thompson ! A very interesting and exciting player. Not ennoying to watch even nowerdays and even if the dunk wasn't allowed during his period in NCAA. His block on Walton in the 1974 semifinal was huge ! With his vertical jump, he was also used as small forward in his ABA's rookie season with the Nuggets. His dunking abilities were all the more incredible as he not so big hands and was unable to make true palming. I wonder if he wasn't stronger than Jordan on college. The thing is that he had a higher point in a game record in NBA than MJ. It's sad that his decline and retreat went just befre MJ's arrival in NBA. There wasn't any compete beetween them. MJ vs his idol would have been very entertaining !
I don't know who's the best college basketball player of all-time (Oscar, Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Walton) but Dt is my choice from all I've seen, You'd have to be there...even just seeing games on TV as I did...to witness his impact. Exciting as hell, and had no flaws as a player. And he seemed to play at 6'7 or so when he may have been 6'3 at most. While his pro career was quite good, he may have been a top-5 all-time talent -- and by all indications, a great guy who made a mistake or two.
Still, there’s a fair amount of footage, lots in college, and even in the dunk contest, he’s not 4 feet off the ground not even close. It’s not that he couldn’t jump but many people calling the greatest sleeper of all time and I really don’t think he is
@@moderate8887 ...I saw him play in high school. His chest level to the rim on one particular offensive rebound, jumping out of the paint to block 22 ft jumpers mid-flight, then repeated it the very next shot. Against Maryland in 74 he slammed into the backboard attempting to block a shot from his ribcage up and knocked himself out cold. He could definitely get up higher than anyone I've seen in the 52 years since I first saw him play in February 1971. The play he tripped over his 6'8" teammates shoulder going up for a block against Pitt, people feared he might be dead upon his impacting the floor with his head and laying motionless for minutes afterward. Or Billy Packer begging his mom on an ACC telecast to convince him to throttle down his leaping because he feared for his safety and well-being. He never did that for Darrel Griffith, Jordan or Vince Carter, to name a few. The NC State student newspaper did have photos proving his astounding leaps. There were pictures back then that proved it beyond question. Even Brett Musberger once proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, he had his entire arm above the basket spearing that lob!" after a play he made against the Sixers in early 1977, where he caught the lob above the outstretched reaches of Caldwell Jones and Harvey Catchings.
Thompson was very good but let’s not get carried away with the comparisons. All the flashy 70s guys looked that way because they were playing a bunch of guys with the athletic talent of Tom Boerwinkle and Greg Kite. Thompson and Erving stood out due to their flashy game. Thompson and Erving weren’t being guarded by Rodman, Cooper, Harper, Pippen, Jordan etc…. The Pistons would have put Rodman on Erving and then brought in a 7foot John Salley on him. Then the next night Thompson and Erving would get Michael Cooper…then the next night it would have been Oakley…then……etc. The dunk is the most overrated scoring play in any sport
Your take is the epitome of idiocy. I'll tell you why... Because you're penalizing players for being born when they were born. Instead of comparing players from different eras, compare players to their peers. Let's compare LeBron to a player from 2054. Idiots
I love that the Nuggets made Thompson apologize to season ticket holders lol! We got guys now milking injuries, acting like spoiled brats, not showing any dedication to be great and we act surprised they can still do anything on the court. Guys like Blake Griffin, John Wall and dwight Howard come to mind.
TO MY UNDERSTANDING THEY KEPT SABOTAGING HIS CAREERS ON AND OFF BASKETBALL COURTS FOR SURE AM JUST SAYING DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
I went to school with his daughters. He's an unbelievable person, got the chance to know him, and play with him in pick-up games. My high school coach was his teammate Bobby Jones. Great character guys for a young black kid.
He can't be a good example for all young kids?!Wow! It's in your people's DNA to always put us beneath in the the human race! SMH
Nick, we just got back from a trip to Shelby.
Are you for real?! Bobby F’n Jones was your HS Coach?!
💯, crazy part is that it's the same school that Steph Curry has now made famous 😂
Street Vol.2 introduced David Thompson and a bunch of other old school legends to me when I was young. Very under-appreciated Nuggets legend and talent in general. Definitely one of the predecessors to Michael Jordan.
Volume 2! Yes sir! Same. Gervin taught me the finger roll, and when I was 14, I was finger rolling at the rim, and always tapped the top of the rim with my fingers. I still have decent bounce now, but I had to have had at least a 30 something inch vert when I was a freshman in HS. I love that game for teaching me how to play the way that I did.
Nowadays, kids play 2K, and emulate the Curry slide, from 4 point range. Things were different back then. 🙏🏾
David and Dr J duels in the old ABA are some of my fondest memories. One of the all time greats that doesn’t get discussed enough in my opinion.
David Thompson is a North Carolina LEGEND!! He really was AMAZING!!❤
People today don't talk about David Thompson or Bernard King. This tells me that the Media has favorites.
People still bring up Bernard King sometimes. I never hear David Thompsons name.
Hot damn, you know the customer's serious when he rivals as a rookie no less than prime Dr. J!
He drove to the paint as fastly as an arrow and his shooting form was so smooth. How sad that drug and lack of luck killed a legend...
The OG nuggets goat. Seeing Jamal and Skywalker holding the trophy after game 5 of the finals was such a legendary moment.
My favorite player all time as a kid I never seen such an electrifying skillful player. There will never be another Skywalker ! Forgotten? Not by me .
This was the first guy that I was influenced by.
It sucks that drugs and the 1984 injury ruined his career. David Thompson deserves his flowers.
David Thompson: Only player to get Game MVP in the ABA AND NBA All-Star Game.
True but it wasn’t a real all-star game. It was David Thompson and the Nuggets versus the ABA All-Stars. Not East versus West.
@@djrom66 Shut up while you're behind, kid. It was an All-Star Game, and he was Game MVP.
End of discussion.
Sorry to disappoint you but the doctor did it as well.
@@antoniotutt4894 When was the Doctor the ABA All-Star Game MVP?
@@djrom66 It was counted as the last official ABA All-Star Game. Deal with it. Get used to it. Can't change it.
As a Maryland Terrapin fan, can attest that David Thompson was the greatest college player I ever lay eyes on. Maryland had five NBA players on that 74' squad, lost its first game of season to UCLA by one at Pauley (Walton and seven other NBA players), North Carolina at Carmichael (seven NBA players) and of course NC State. Maryland crushed Duke and North Carolina in ACC tournament only to lose a heartbreaker to Thompson and NC State (3 times a charm) for the right to represent the ACC in the dance. Back then only the winner of ACC tournament moved on. David Thompson was an absolute stud at NC State and reason the greatest Maryland team ever failed to make the NCAA tournament.
Maryland Terrapins were known as UCLA-East, that's how good those Maryland teams were: Tom McMillan, buck Williams, len Elmore, Brian Adrian, etc...
I got Dave Thompson's autograph on a card I pulled from a pack of basketball cards.
He’s got a crazy dunk package on 2k23 ❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥
Lol i swear everything comes back to 2k with yall 🤦🏾♂️
@@FlowboyVegas1it's such a cool game with NBA history in it
@@FlowboyVegas1 you must gotta ask your girlfriend if you can play? 😂🤷🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
He soft
@@ayshaahmed8930 you got ps5 or Xbox
You can tell Michael Jordan modeled his game after David "Skywalker" Thompson, especially his college game, David Thompson and DrJ were the first players with hang time!
Those worthy gentlemen for sure, but don't forget Elgin Baylor.
Elgin Baylor: Hold my beer......
Connie Hawkins, Gus Johnson along with Baylor
Great video! As a Nuggets fan, Skywalker is an absolute legend here in Colorado and you can still catch him in a Nuggets game from time to time.
Here are a couple of other old-school guys who should have their own videos soon in my opinion.
Walt Bellamy
Connie Hawkins
Paul Westphal
Bob Lanier
Dennis Johnson
Paul Silas
Maurice Lucas
Jack Sikma
My wife and her brothers went to Crest HS Chargers of Shelby NC
I grew up in Colorado (Denver area) watching the Nuggets with DT, Issel, and Bobby Jones. A friend of my family was one of the part owners of the Nuggets, and when he didn't go to games he would give them to me and my dad. We were 4th row behind the scorers bench just to one side of mid-court. Hell of a view, and you could hear the players trash talking each other. DT was pretty quiet, let his game do the talking. But Issel had a mouth on him. Jones was totally quiet.
When the McGinnis for Jones trade happened I told the family friend that the Nuggets made their biggest mistake ever. A couple of years later he admitted that the trade was a major mistake. But they did it because Bobby Jones had some health issues come up, and they were afraid something might happen with him. Jones went to the 76ers and win a NBA Championship with them a couple of years later. Jones was considered one of the best defensive players in the league at the time, and Denver traded him to the team with the best offensive player in Dr. J. Another thing I told the family friend was a mistake. Anytime Jones was matched against Dr. J. he would shut him down or come close to it. When Jones played for the Nuggets he was the secret ingredient to wins, he would take on the best player/scorer and shut them down. This left Issel and DT to go on scoring rampages.
I saw both ABA and NBA games with the Nuggets. Those were great times.
And the NBA Western Conference finals against the Trailblazers (Bill Walton) was amazing. I saw (on TV) DT go and stuff Walton on a play. Everybody's jaws hit the ground when DT jumped up and erased Walton's shot. He truly was/is the original "Skywalker."
"Anytime Jones was matched against Dr. J. he would shut him down or come close to it."-----According to basketball reference Dr. J averaged 25.8 pts on 51.7% shooting against Bobby Jones over 30 games. But I am a fan of Jones.
Cool story. Great memories for you and your family.
I went to a basketball camp at the University of Denver in 1978, where David Thompson coached our team for a couple games. His jumping ability was unreal.
Yes, the addiction was a huge impact, but it was the knee injury in an era with archaic surgery and rehab methods coupled with terrible shoes. Even without the addiction, he wouldn't have been the same after the injury. In the modern era, his knee would've been scoped and he would've been back to near or full capabilitity quickly.
The David Thompson story involves a certain amount of self-inflicted issues, but that knee injury occurred right about the time that addiction issue deepened into self-destruction. He lost some height off his remarkable elevation as a result, a factor that defined his game. His midrange jumper was good enough, but his fearlessness at going to the hole was what created the highlights in his career. I didn't get to see much of his play in the NBA before that injury because all most of America watched was the single Game of the Week on CBS. Even my hometown Houston Rockets didn't have a local TV deal until the 1980 season. But his days at NC State were eye-opening. Watching him make layups with his head nearly at basket-level blew my 20-something mind. Because of the lack of national NCAA basketball coverage, America couldn't see what some call the greatest college basketball of the 1970s, the ACC championship game between the Wolfpack and Lefty Driesell's Maryland. It was a 103-100 triumph for the eventual college champion, a score that featured no threes at all. I could go on about how the 1980s ruined college hoops, but some other time, perhaps. The David Thompson story could have rivaled Jordan's, but was not meant to be.
David Thompson was the MOST exciting player I've ever seen. And I'm still watching the NBA today !!!
You know of Jordan says you were his fav that guy had to be good.
I was in HS on the west coast when David was in College. We didn’t have no internet or RUclips in those days. We barely had TV. But I remember talking about Thompson a lot with friends while playing basketball
I was at his first game with the nuggets him and Monte Towe , Marvin Webster was center , mack Calvin Byron beck Ralph Simpson, Larry brown head coach God those were the good ole days. I've waited over 50 years to see my nuggs today as champions
Congrats, even though you took out my beloved Lakers. Consider it revenge for that great 2009 Western Semis. Jokic is a beast.
I KNOW THE FEELING I FOLLOWED GEORGE ICEMAN GERVIN SINCE ICE WAS PLAYING FOR THE VIRGINIA SQUIRES JANUARY 1973 AND I WAS AT THE HALL OF FAME WHEN ICE WAS INDUCTED MAY 1996 AND SKYWALKER WAS INDUCTED THE SAME NIGHT
Simpson was a player reminding me of Mitch Richmond type who would star in the league later on
Skywalker was my favorite as a kid. Tried to model my game after his. Unfortunately while Thompson was blessed with a 48 inch vertical, I was cursed with a 4 inch vertical earning me the nickname of Groundhugger.
Michael Jordan's idol
ABA was so fun . Gervin , Dr J , Thompson, Barry, Gilmore. Moses, many more. I'm from Oakland CA we had the Oaks (champs) . Man kinda like a hockey game on sneakers . Body checking and fights . NBA players didn't want the teams or players from the ABA in the league before the merger. ABA was wild , 3pt shot, running dunking , by everyone not just a few. NBA players knew it was going to be a fight for their job with all the talent entering from the ABA plus the college draft. Made for good entertaiment
I saw him and the great North Carolina State team play UCLA. Thompson was one of the greatest.
David Thompson is an exceptional person. He coached youth basketball for years and I went through his training camp. An amazing person and coach. He had a talent for seeing peoples natural skill set and teaching them how to use it to their advantage.
Of course I know about Skywalker David Thompson that is Michael Jordan idol the greatest leaper in history the man was a beast he was the reason we know about vertical leap and the alley opp heart broke knowing that he didn't finish his career due to drugs
I’m glad he’s finally in 2k
Most don't know that he had locked down the starting SG spot with the Pacers in '85 before the public intoxication charge, which from the few accounts I've ever read was a bs charge. He was tearing it up in Indy trading camp and then they just cut him. I want to say Donnie Walsh was the Pacers coach then.
George Irvine was the Head Coach, Walsh was the assistant Coach.
Great job on this documentary. If you haven’t already you should make one like this on Spencer Haywood.
Was Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan. Denver drafted Monte Towe, his best friend as a way to entice him to sign with Denver.
He was my all time favorite player when I was in high school he was like an Idol to me growing up as a young high schooler
I was one year behind Thompson at State. Saw every home game in 74. One of the favorite things my buddies and I used to do was to watch practice in Reynolds. The real show was afterwards with the guys goofing around doing tricks. Thompson was unbelievable!
Excellent video! Here are few other old school names I'd love to see featured: Buck Williams, Sleepy Floyd, Kiki Vandeweghe, Kelly Tripucka, John Bagley (deep cut), Jeff Malone, and Terry Cummings.
Buck Williams, Terry Cummings, Sleepy Floyd, Kiki Vandeweghe, Jeff Malone I agree with. How about another one... Michael Ray Richardson?
I went to church with his nephew and I'm still pissed I didn't get to meet Uncle Dave 😂
Great video! I always extra appreciate when someone takes a more sympathetic look at a career that takes the kind of turns that David Thompson's did.
The Internet is so full of falsehoods like this headline! Yes, David Thompson's magnificence as a player was probably " shortened " due to a drug problem, but " Lost To Addiction " is a crazy untrue statement! So, first of all he was a college superstar, an NBA superstar for 8 or 9 years who finished averaging about 23 points a game. He was like a combination Dr J and MJ an a leaper of which nobody had ever seen before. He became the highest paid athlete in any sport for a reason and most players in the NBA will never have the productive career he had. " Lost " the only one lost was the person who wrote this false and scandalous headline.
Excessive euphemisms just to raise the eyebrows and gain those pesky Likes. Fans who watched DT and his peers live back in the day know what impact those players had on the game as a whole. Their Legacies remain solid and intact.
You are correct! I met him personally in Atlanta. A real kind and approachable human being.@@cleekmaker00
Yeah I live in the same county in NC that he went to hs in and he's been doing good and giving drug speeches since I was in school back in the early 90's.
U know everyone gets their CAREER BACK together at a NIGHT CLUB 😂😂
This is way when the new folks start talking about the best players I walk away . There are so many players they haven’t seen and experienced. If you didn’t see old NBA/ ABA games you can’t speak about the best because you missed so much and what you did see from the older league you saw when the players were on the end of their journey or on film only.
The real truth about the dunking ban was that it was Alcindor (later Abdul Jabbar). The NCAA had plenty of big guys before him--none bigger or badder than Wilt. No, it wasn't those guys. It was guys similar (but before) Thompson--smaller Black players slamming it everywhere. The basketball establishment just couldn't cope with that.
One thing that isn't brought out enough in this video: David could shoot the rock. Think about all those short- and mid-range jumpers you saw, mostly over guys. Yes, he was a spectacular leaper and an amazing dunker. But, as he showed in college, he could score from anywhere, not just at the rim.
8:05 Man can you imagine how different the Hawks franchise would be if they had Dr.J and Skywalker to team with Pistol Pete? That's a potential dynasty with just two of them on the same team let alone all three.
Oh my God Pistol would be feeding alley oops all game from every angle of the court let alone get points for himself being he was a scoring machine. Plus his passing game was enigmatic too. Dr. J and David would have a field day on that court.
If they had gotten Erving (despite his contract with Virginia) the Hawks very likely wouldn't have been in the position to draft Thompson in 1975.
A true great in the ABA , NBA years. Some great players back then. My teen years. Memories
Artis Gilmore should be next
👍🏾
One of two men to block Kareem's skyhook.
@@CrazyxEnigmawho was the other one ? Wilt or Walton is my guess
@@rocknroll7065 Yeah Wilt did. Even more impressively he was in his thirties and already had knee surgery which sapped him of a good amount of his athletic ability.
Artis Gilmore played his first two years of college ball at Gardner-Webb Junior College at that time ( now Gardner- Webb University) which is only 3 miles from David Thompsons home as a young boy. Gilmore married a girl from Davids high school Crest High School. Gardner-Webb was one of Thompsons short list of colleges to attend , but NC State won out .
Man if he never got hurt........... Dude was a BEAST... I feel he would have reached at least 30,000 points had he did not have to retire at 29..... He was in a lane of his own... Please do one on Ben Wallace
5:18 he tries to block a shot and falls over another player's shoulder... damn...
@19:40 The Nuggets executives told David Thompson to apologize to the fans for having a subpar season. The nerve! Those people must have thought they were slave masters and Thompson should obey. I hope that he didn't.
David Thompson might as well be a fictional character to me, since I didn’t start watching the NBA until 1981 when he was leaving the Nuggets. I can understand the DT Skywalker hype. He had a better college career than Jordan. He was the #1 pick of both leagues. His first five years were as good or better than MJ’s. Good video. Thanks.
I watched DT as a Sonic. I could easily tell he was on drugs as he would inexplicably lose the ball dribbling up the court on his own
that sucks. remember Vin Bakers last year? ughh the free throw Pct% especially in the playoffs.
As a rookie, this man lead the Nuggets to the ABA Finals against Dr.J's NY Nets, averaging 28ppg. Talk about a promising start to a career. Unfortunate that his career went down the way it did.
Loved growing up in that era.
Imagine how deeply insecure/racist society had to be to ban dunking
Think of it as affirmative action for white guys.
@@jojonodanceryou’d fit right in
@@vincewilson8969 been an NBA and rap fan since the 90s but good luck with the pity party. Ps rule changes helped MJ, so I guess the big man can't get a break.
@@jojonodancer Lol. If anything I pity you. Ok you like rap music. Who cares lmaooo
@jojonodancer the rules were for all players not just white or black. Where ya'll get the rule change racist stuff from. Big Red Walton was an unstoppable white boy, Pistol Pete Maravich, Tom McMillan, mitch kupcek, there were helluva white boys. Rick Robey led Indiana to the last undefeated championship season in 1976 and no one has duplicate it
Be nice to see one of these on Buck Williams and Albert King.
Jordan’s prototype
Jordan was skywalkers prototype
@@andresdelportillo9917 Ummm, dumbass..."Prototype" means a model built to make others later. Therefore, dummy, the prototype is the first of his kind. Thompson came BEFORE Little Mikey, Jordansexual. 🙄🙄🙄
Skywalker
The Man known as Skywalker! David Thompson was as dominant as any player before his injuries! 🏀
No dunking.. that’s absurd.
Basketball without dunk is like a monster truck showdown without car crushing... would it be as iconic anymore?
People were salty Kareem was unstoppable.
@@CrazyxEnigmafacts they did that to stop Kareem and it still didn't work 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yes! I was hoping you would do this one. Definitely one of the biggest what if stories in NBA history. Crazy hops and could shoot the lights out, should have been an all time great. Dr. J started his game to try to catch Thompson's scoring 0/6 and wanted to just concede the scoring title to Thompson but the coach insisted he kept chucking and even benched other players for taking shots that night. When Thompson had 53 points at halftime on 20/21 from the field the Pistons coach started quadruple teaming him just so he wouldn't break Wilt's record on his watch
What record of Wilts were they trying to break? Highest points per game average for a season
@@aarondigby5054 The 100 points in a game record that still stands was what the Detroit coach was trying to stop. Thompson's ridiculous first half had him on pace. Gervin and Thompson were just fighting over that year's scoring title. Gervin needed 59 points to take the scoring title after Thompson's game, and needed to chuck up 49 attempts to do so
Great detail bro. Appreciate it 👍
He Couldn’t Mess wit the Dr.
Probably my all-time favorite college player the guy was an absolute freak could jump out of the gym had a good jump shot I know he was MJ's favorite player I think at the time he had a 46 inch vertical absolute freak of nature Superstar until he messed with the blow! The good thing for him it didn't kill him like it did Lynn bias!
So, you outlaw dunking to keep Kareem from dominating the sport with no unfair advantage, just his God-given ability?? Wonder if they ever considered outlawing home runs in baseball since Babe Ruth was hitting more than anyone?
If Babe Ruth was black they would have considered it.
Once upon a time the highest paid player in the league during the 70s. Couldn't leave that nose candy alone, so much talent that we can only imagine what could have been or should have been. He still managed to have somewhat a decent pro career
Great story one hell of a player do you have a story on Michael Ray Richardson🤔
Not yet, but he'll definitely get one eventually
He grew up in Denver
Thank you 😊
Simply the best!
Great to make a portrait of David Thompson !
A very interesting and exciting player. Not ennoying to watch even nowerdays and even if the dunk wasn't allowed during his period in NCAA. His block on Walton in the 1974 semifinal was huge ! With his vertical jump, he was also used as small forward in his ABA's rookie season with the Nuggets. His dunking abilities were all the more incredible as he not so big hands and was unable to make true palming.
I wonder if he wasn't stronger than Jordan on college. The thing is that he had a higher point in a game record in NBA than MJ. It's sad that his decline and retreat went just befre MJ's arrival in NBA. There wasn't any compete beetween them. MJ vs his idol would have been very entertaining !
David Thompson was 6-4 and he did the opening jump for NC State who a 7-4 center named Tom Burleson.
@@williambrightman1375 Precisely, at 15'30'' of this documentary, its said that he was 6.3 1/2 (6'4 with shoes ?). So even more impressive !
We’re seeing a similar situation playing out with Ja. Explosion guards, with generation defining talent squandering it.
Kenyon Martin ferocious dunker next
Wow, what a great video. Thank you😀
I don't know who's the best college basketball player of all-time (Oscar, Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Walton) but Dt is my choice from all I've seen, You'd have to be there...even just seeing games on TV as I did...to witness his impact. Exciting as hell, and had no flaws as a player. And he seemed to play at 6'7 or so when he may have been 6'3 at most. While his pro career was quite good, he may have been a top-5 all-time talent -- and by all indications, a great guy who made a mistake or two.
I have never seen a single picture or video of him with his head over the rim....ever His vertical,while impressive, is over estimated
His career was extremely short and he played in the ABA where like 10 games a year were on TV.
Still, there’s a fair amount of footage, lots in college, and even in the dunk contest, he’s not 4 feet off the ground not even close. It’s not that he couldn’t jump but many people calling the greatest sleeper of all time and I really don’t think he is
@@moderate8887 ...I saw him play in high school. His chest level to the rim on one particular offensive rebound, jumping out of the paint to block 22 ft jumpers mid-flight, then repeated it the very next shot. Against Maryland in 74 he slammed into the backboard attempting to block a shot from his ribcage up and knocked himself out cold.
He could definitely get up higher than anyone I've seen in the 52 years since I first saw him play in February 1971. The play he tripped over his 6'8" teammates shoulder going up for a block against Pitt, people feared he might be dead upon his impacting the floor with his head and laying motionless for minutes afterward. Or Billy Packer begging his mom on an ACC telecast to convince him to throttle down his leaping because he feared for his safety and well-being. He never did that for Darrel Griffith, Jordan or Vince Carter, to name a few.
The NC State student newspaper did have photos proving his astounding leaps. There were pictures back then that proved it beyond question. Even Brett Musberger once proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, he had his entire arm above the basket spearing that lob!" after a play he made against the Sixers in early 1977, where he caught the lob above the outstretched reaches of Caldwell Jones and Harvey Catchings.
I saw him play live on person Jordan would even call him a great leader 48 inch vertical. He once grabbed a coin off the top of the backboard
Its interesting to see Larry Brown go from a coach of a fast paced high scoring philosophy to that of a defensively minded one.
Thompson was very good but let’s not get carried away with the comparisons. All the flashy 70s guys looked that way because they were playing a bunch of guys with the athletic talent of Tom Boerwinkle and Greg Kite. Thompson and Erving stood out due to their flashy game. Thompson and Erving weren’t being guarded by Rodman, Cooper, Harper, Pippen, Jordan etc…. The Pistons would have put Rodman on Erving and then brought in a 7foot John Salley on him. Then the next night Thompson and Erving would get Michael Cooper…then the next night it would have been Oakley…then……etc. The dunk is the most overrated scoring play in any sport
Your take is the epitome of idiocy. I'll tell you why... Because you're penalizing players for being born when they were born. Instead of comparing players from different eras, compare players to their peers. Let's compare LeBron to a player from 2054. Idiots
That would be interesting to see a couple of other classic era players like Kelly Tripucka or Greg Kelser for some new videos
Kelser was no NBA star though, neither was Tripucka really good enough for one all star nod.
🐺 N.C. STATE great. Still the best player ever from the state of N.C.
Michael Jordan WHO ? 🐺
Cap! 🙏🏾
congrats mfer you win stupidest comment of the year
Seen him play in Little Rock back in the 80s it was an NBA exhibition game between the nuggets in the Milwaukee
I saw the overtime against UCLA. Tremendous performance by Thompson
No doubt he could play with anyone
He and Pistol Pete do not get their due
Btw Walton missed his 3rd ncaa championship bc of the dunk rule
“Nooooo he was a plumber, he couldn’t shoot threes at a high percentage” JJ Reddit, probably
Legendary Skywalker
I love that the Nuggets made Thompson apologize to season ticket holders lol! We got guys now milking injuries, acting like spoiled brats, not showing any dedication to be great and we act surprised they can still do anything on the court. Guys like Blake Griffin, John Wall and dwight Howard come to mind.
The Tarheels did not want Skywalker? One of my favorites as a kid in the mid 70's's into the early 80's.
Stellar
He blamed Kareem for being great 😂😂😂😂😂
Plain and simple, for his competition, DT WAS A PROBLEM!!!
Great video
DT was my favorite player!
Skywalker was awesome
Those ABA Nuggets teams would easily win a championship in today's NBA
90 % of the NBA was high on coke in the 80s.
70s too...
Growing up in Denver as a young kid, I worshipped David Thompson. Such an amazing talent
Man denver made him apologize for having a down year lol racist
TO MY UNDERSTANDING THEY KEPT SABOTAGING HIS CAREERS ON AND OFF BASKETBALL COURTS FOR SURE AM JUST SAYING DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
Tim Stoddard went on to have a very good career as an MLB pitcher
Finally!!!!!!
How crazy is it to outlaw the dunk, another way to hold back the dominance of the black, more athletic players in those days
Don't blame a cocaine addiction on an injury.
He hurt his nose
u better do clearance weatherspoon or else 🥊🤕
Scrub was balding at 26 lmao