NBA Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion, Michael Jordan, considered an all-time Nuggets legend as his idol. Growing up, Jordan admired David Thompson’s game. Thompson was a first-round first pick by the Atlanta Hawks before he joined the Denver Nuggets in ABA.

Thompson has put up historical performances throughout his career. Coming out of NC State, Thompson was the heartbeat of his team. David also had an insane vertical for someone who was 6’4 at that time. What’s more surprising is his comparisons to other dominant players.

David Thompson was a combination of Michael Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron

David Thompson was a talented scorer. In his sophomore year, Thompson scored 37 points in a televised game v/s Maryland Team. In his senior year, Thompson won his first NCAA championship. Notably, he once blocked Bill Walton, the 6’11 center of UCLA. Thompson’s NBA career had a bright start as well. He was average 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in his rookie season.

The 1977-78 season was David’s peak season. Thompson averaged 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists that season, including a monstrous 73 point game vs the Detroit Pistons in the season finale. Despite such a great performance, David and the Nuggets lost to the Pistons by 2, 139-137, which was a rare final score at that time.

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Being an exceptional talent is one thing, but being compared to the greats at the same time is definitely a matter of pride. Bill Walton, NBA Hall of Famer, once described David Thompson as “Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James rolled into one”.

An All-time great

Thompson’s career average is 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. These numbers really don’t justify the above statement. But there might be a good reason for that. David had only played 9 seasons in his career, including an ABA season.

Thompson retired at 30. He suffered a career-ending injury in the early 80s. However, this injury did not happen during a game or practice session, but on Studio 54’s staircase.

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Though he was distracted by bad influences, no one can deny his greatness. Not to mention, Michael Jordan chose Thompson to introduce him at the Hall of Fame ceremony, which is a testament to the impact he had in his short-lived career.