Hoops Habit
Fansided

Ranking every first overall pick in NBA history

By Christopher Jeter

MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Miami Heat on November 18, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Miami Heat on November 18, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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27. 1975: David Thompson, Denver Nuggets

If you want to know how good David Thompson was, the fact that Michael Jordan idolized and modeled his game after him should serve as a ringing endorsement. As YouTuber Andy Hoops mentions in his video on Thompson, Jordan became a fan of North Carolina State because he enjoyed watching Thompson play. Jordan even asked Thompson to introduce him for his Hall of Fame induction in 2009.

Jordan’s adoration of Thompson was well warranted. The springy shooting guard spent most of his career with the team that drafted him first overall, the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 24.1 points per game with a 56.9 true shooting percentage and a 20.4 PER. If you watch any Thompson highlight video, you can see the similarities in his and Jordan’s respective games.

However, Thompson also battled his share of demons off the floor, as he struggled with addictions to cocaine and alcohol. The major turning point in his career came in 1984 when he severely injured his knee at the Studio 54 nightclub in Manhattan, an incident that he regrets to this day (h/t John Warr of Bleacher Report):

"The thing that really made him retire happened in the Manhattan Studio 54 nightclub where he was pushed down the stairs. That about did it for David Thompson’s career. David regrets all this to a great extent, saying: “I had the ability to be one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game…and I blew it.”"

It appears as though Thompson has gotten his life together post-retirement, which in the end is more important than anything he did on the basketball court.