The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1513610
40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER tory over Maryland in the championship game of the ACC Tournament. Then came the NCAA tourney and a matchup with Pitt in the East Regional final. In that contest, Thompson tripped over Spence and ended up hitting the court on a hard fall. The Pack star suf- fered a head injury and was taken to the hospital. Though likely concussed, Thompson persuaded the doctors to let him go back to the arena to be there for his team. He walked back into the gym to a standing ovation from the NC State faithful. "I wanted to let them know that I was OK," Thompson said. "I also wanted them to win the game because I wanted to play against UCLA the following week." The Pack cruised past Pitt, 100-72, to set up a revenge game against the de- fending national champion Bruins in the NCAA semifinals. NC State went toe to toe with No. 2 UCLA and won 80-77 in double overtime behind Thompson's 28 points and 12 rebounds. NC State had conquered coach John Wooden and Bruins star Bill Walton, end- ing UCLA's streak of seven consecutive titles, to get to the national championship game against No. 3 Marquette. "He was a basketball player who just happened to be blessed with a remark- able ability to float over the court," Wal- ton said in a recent interview with NC State Athletics. "He seemed to elevate and then levitate. He was a comet that came through our universe — one time. There is only one David Thompson." NC State handled Marquette, 76-64, to claim its first men's basketball na- tional championship. Thompson aver- aged 26 points and 7.9 rebounds that season to lead his team to the pinnacle of the sport. Reflecting on the moment 50 years later, Thompson noted that he didn't im- mediately comprehend the magnitude of what he and his teammates had ac- complished. "I thought we were going to win the next year, but that never happened," he said. "I didn't really realize how rare, how special a national championship is. Just for people to remember you 50 years later is something that's very special." Forever Enshrined Thompson's college career has now been immortalized in bronze. In a Dec. 6 ceremony outside Reynolds Coliseum, NC State unveiled the 13-foot statue, which depicts the Wolfpack legend at the top of his jump for an alley-oop. The base of the figure is 44 inches tall, a nod to Thompson's famous leaping ability. "It turned out real good, except they could have had Walton up under me," Thompson said with a laugh. "But you get the gist of the picture. I think they did a great job with it. Showing the 44-inch vertical on the bottom of the statue, hav- ing me levitate in the air. That's what I did back in the day." Thompson, who went on to play nine professional seasons, is the first NC State student-athlete to be immortalized with a statue on campus. And the legend was thankful to be the one chosen. "It really means a lot to be the first player," said Thompson, who picked up his NC State diploma in 2003 alongside daughter Erika. "There's only one first player. To be that one, you've got to be special. I'm grateful for them choosing me to be that first one." But where does this honor rank for a player who has earned the sport's highest accolades? He's already in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He owns a national championship, and NBA legend Michael Jordan has described him as an inspiration growing up. Well, that wasn't a hard question for Thompson to answer. "It's got to be the top, I think. Getting inducted into the Hall of Fame was really good," he said, "but being the first at your university in the history of the school to get a statue, that has to be No. 1." ■ DAVID THOMPSON BASKETBALL (1972-75) Age: 69 Living: Charlotte, N.C. Occupation: Retired professional basketball player (seven seasons with Denver Nuggets, two with Seattle SuperSonics), motivational speaker and basketball instructor Did you know? Thompson was the No. 1 draft pick in both the American Basketball Association (Virginia Squires) and the NBA (Atlanta Hawks) in 1975. But he didn't sign with either team, choos - ing instead to ink a contract with the ABA's Den- ver Nuggets. He became the ABA Rookie of the Year and was MVP of the league's All-Star Game in 1976. The two pro leagues merged later that year, and in 1979 he was named the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game, becoming the only player to receive the honor in both leagues. " He seemed to elevate and then levitate. He was a comet that came through our universe — one time. There is only one David Thompson. " Bill Walton Thompson was a three-time consensus first-team All-American and three-time ACC Player of the Year during his tenure at NC State from 1972-75. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS