David Thompson is another one of the classic NBA athletes that tends to be looked over as well because of his lack of concrete accolades but during his stint in the NBA, he was known as one of the league's deadliest scorers. Thompson played for both the ABA and the NBA, the Denver Nuggets [1975-1982] for both leagues and the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA [1982-1984]. In 1974, Thompson earned an NCAA title with NC State and went on to be drafted first overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1975 NBA Draft.
Thompson is one of the few NBA players to a 70+ scoring game as he scored 73 points against the Detroit Pistons in 1978 in an effort win the Scoring Title but came up short after George Gervin scored 63 points in a game later the same evening. Thompson later broke records when he was offered a $4 million contract for five years of commitment following the 1978 season, a contract of that magnitude had never been heard of during the time. Unfortunately, Thompson suffered a knee injury at the infamous Studio 54 in 1984 and never was the same athlete.