33. David Thompson
David Thompson is one of your dad’s favorite players, most likely. Heck, he might be one your grandfather loved. He was one of the last few players who transitioned from the old ABA to the NBA. Starting with the ABA in the 1975-76 season, he scored 26 points a game on average. He migrated to the NBA the following season, drafted by the Denver Nuggets.
He scored 25 points a game his first year. From 1976-1981, Thompson was an unstoppable scoring machine for Denver. He was an NBA All-Star 4 times in his career, even winning the MVP in the All-Star game in 1979. David also ended up on the All-NBA First Team twice. During his time, Thompson was a threat anywhere on the court.
His career was not long, but he still ranks as one of the best players who never won an NBA Championship. Not just because Thompson was deadly in the regular season from the field, but also due to his dominance in the post-season. He put up huge playoff numbers averaging 26 points per game and putting up two 40+ point games.