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Tim Peeler: Basketball legends share appreciation for David Thompson

Tim Peelerby:Tim Peeler•12/07/23•

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David Thompson
Unknown date & location, USA; FILE PHOTO; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard David Thompson (44) in action against the North Carolina Tarheels. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Not long after NC State revealed its new statue of David Thompson, the greatest player in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball history, former North Carolina Tar Heel Phil Ford was asked a pretty simple question.

“Who’s the biggest David Thompson fan, you or Michael?” referring, of course, to former North Carolina All-America and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

“Me, of course,” Ford said. “I saw him play a lot more, in person. Michael watched him on television.”

Ford, in fact, was on NC State’s bench or in the stands at Reynolds Coliseum multiple times during his junior and senior years at Rocky Mount High School, including for the famous game against Pittsburgh in which Thompson tripped over teammate Phil Spence’s shoulder and fell to the floor.

Ford was eventually recruited by North Carolina coach Dean Smith and became the iconic point guard in the Tar Heels’ famous Four Corners offense. As a senior, Ford was named the 1978 ACC Player of the Year, an honor Thompson won three times (1973-75) while leading the Wolfpack to two ACC titles and the 1974 NCAA Championship.

As a freshman, Ford ended NC State’s nine-game winning streak over the Tar Heels and handed the Wolfpack a loss in the final game of Thompson’s storied career.

While Jordan didn’t attend the ceremony, the eight-minute video tribute included a clip of Jordan’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, an honor Thompson received in 1996. Jordan asked Thompson, his childhood hero, to introduce him at the enshrinement ceremony.

“I was inspired by him,” Jordan said. “I loved David Thompson.”

The fact that Ford and 1971 ACC Player of the Year Barry Parkhill of Virginia attended Wednesday’s unveiling, with a long list of NC State dignitaries and others interviewed for an eight-minute video tribute, solidified the significance of the event, the first statue on campus that recognized a student-athlete’s accomplishments.

That Thompson’s opponents, significantly outspoken former UCLA All-American Bill Walton, were still eager to compliment Thompson’s generational talent with the same enthusiasm, sincerity and affection as teammates Tom Burleson, Monte Towe and other Wolfpack teammates speaks volumes about the class Thompson always displayed while being the best player in every game that he played.

Walton was eloquent and liberal with his praise of Thompson’s “graceful explosiveness.”

“He was a basketball player who just happened to be blessed with a remarkable ability to float over the court,” Walton said. “He seemed to elevate and then levitate. He was a comet that came through our universe – one time.

“There is only one David Thompson.”

Walton was the star of the 1974 UCLA team that faced Thompson and the Wolfpack in Greensboro in the NCAA semifinals. It took two overtimes, but Thompson helped the Wolfpack pull out an 80-77 victory by outscoring the seven-time defending national champions 13-3 in the final minutes of the second overtime.

“I just could not beat David Thompson on that day,” Walton said.

Now, perched high atop a platform that is 44 inches tall to match his Guinness Book of World Records-confirmed vertical leap and his retired jersey number, Thompson will forever fly over the front of Reynolds Coliseum, where State fans and opponents of all kind can appreciate the game-changing talent Thompson displayed throughout his career.

Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at [email protected].

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