Above the Rim

CBN.com ANDREW KNOX: David, obviously your career numbers are staggering: 57 wins and 1 loss over two seasons at North Carolina State, culminating with the NCAA Championship in 1974; two-time College Player of the Year; the Most Valuable Player of the ABA All Star game; Most Valuable Player of the NBA All Star game even scored 73 points in one game; and then you were enshrined into the basketball Hall of Fame. With these types of numbers, how is it that you feel you didnt accomplish all that you could of in your career?

DAVID THOMPSON: In 1978 I was given the highest contract ever given to anybody in the history of teams sports a five year, $4 million contract, which now seems like a very small amount, but back then it was the highest of anybody in any team sport. Along with the contract came a lot of pressure. I made some really bad choices, I got involved in drugs and alcohol, and as a result, my career started going downhill.

ANDREW KNOX: In looking back over your career and some of the frustrations, youve said, 'I wasnt David Thompson who happened to play basketball; I was David Thompson the basketball player.' Was your entire identity wrapped up in the game of basketball?

DAVID THOMPSON: Basketball was God in my life; it was number one. All of my self-esteem and self-worth was centered in Basketball. When basketball is number one, pretty much your ego gets in the way. EGO is an acronym for Edging God Out. At that point in my life, God was secondary and basketball was first. It was all about basketball to me.

ANDREW KNOX (reporting): From his humble beginnings in rural North Carolina, David was raised to put God first. He drifted far from the values of his Christian parents.

DAVID THOMPSON: I gave in to the ways of the world and was living a life of sin. I felt guilty for a lot of times, and that kept me out there using and drinking because I didnt think I was worthy of Gods grace.

ANDREW KNOX (reporting): After playing with the Denver Nuggets and then the Seattle Supersonics, David earned the reputation of an extremely talented but extremely troubled man.

DAVID THOMPSON: Nobody really wanted to be around me. None wanted to be associated with David Thompson because in their eyes I was pretty much a loser. But God put me on my knees so I could look up to Him. For a long time I depended on myself and on my fame, and He took all those things away. I was incarcerated for about a four-month period because of something I did while I was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

ANDREW KNOX (reporting): In jail, reality hit hard. There, on TV, he watched the great Julius Erving, a longtime court rival and friend.

DAVID THOMPSON: Dr. J. was being honored. He was retiring. He talked about some of the greatest players he had ever played against in the NBA, and he mentioned my name. All the guys in the TV room gave me a standing ovation, and it just hit me hard right there that there Dr. J was, a man whose career paralleled with mine, here he was on TV getting his acclaim and here I was in jail getting mine. It just hit home where my career had gone from the top all the way down to the bottom.

ANDREW KNOX (reporting): David's finances were also in ruins.

ANDREW KNOX: What was the frustration and the irony like filing for bankruptcy when a decade before you were the highest paid player in basketball?

DAVID THOMPSON: It was a hard thing to swallow, me being the highest paid athlete in all of team sports at one point and now being in bankruptcy, about $2 million in debt with penalties and interest, with no career so to speak. I was really lost. Just had no direction. Had no hope at that point.

ANDREW KNOX (reporting): But when a pastor visited the jail, David was greatly encouraged.

DAVID THOMPSON: The pastor told me, 'God accepts you just as you are. All you have to do is accept Him into your heart and confess your sins and repent.' Thats when I made the most important decision anyone can make. Thats when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Thats when my life started to turn around.

ANDREW KNOX (reporting): David has been sober for 15 years, and his once rocky marriage has been restored.

DAVID THOMPSON: Im not the same person I was before. Right now Im the loving, humble, happy guy that I was when my wife first met me. For people that are going through substance abuse or marital problems or financial problems, there is an answer. There is a man that can fix it that man is Jesus Christ. I was able to turn my life around through Christ, and now Im a winner again. Im reaping the benefits of Gods grace. I may not have the wealth and fame I once had in my life, but in a lot of ways my life is far richer than it has ever been because Ive got the love of Jesus Christ in my heart. Right now Im happy, joyous, and free.