The Strange Case of David Thompson

I probably saw about 250+ ACC basketball games on tv before I left for college, and yet somehow I don't feel like we were made aware of how great David Thompson had been in the early 70's. Granted, the ACC at the time (80's) was absurdly talent-rich so it didn't need to talk about the good 'ol days, but still. I feel like they only brought him up to mention him once winning the NBA dunk contest and that he had drug problems, and not how he once ruled the conference. They only seemed to speak of him as some physical freak that could jump out of the gym, and nothing else. NOW I feel like he's celebrated more, but I certainly don't remember him being as looming of a figure when I was a kid as you'd think he'd have been - and that 1974 team had been the first ACC team to win a national title since 1957, I believe. As this joint says:

The guy was a three-time ACC Basketball Player of the Year. Important to this discussion: he has a ring ('74), which came in a season in which he played in one of the best games ever (ACC Championship vs. Maryland) and ended UCLA's run of dominance with a 80-77 win over 'em in the Final Four. Bonus: you ever see MJ speak at a hoops camp? We have. He frequently says Thompson was one of his influences.