Nationality American Name Billy Thompson College Louisville (1982–1986) Weight 88 kg | Listed weight 195 lb (88 kg) Height 2.01 m Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Role Basketball player Position Small forward | |
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Born December 1, 1963 (age 60)
Camden, New Jersey ( 1963-12-01 ) High school Camden (Camden, New Jersey) NBA draft 1986 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19th overall | ||
Education University of Louisville | ||
Billy thompson 1990 nba slam dunk contest
William Stansbury Thompson (born December 1, 1963) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association and other leagues. He spent a 5-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, and registered one minute of court time with the Golden State Warriors in 1991.
Contents
- Billy thompson 1990 nba slam dunk contest
- Billy thompson 30pts 16rebs 5asts 3stls vs warriors 1989
- References
Thompson played basketball at Camden High School in New Jersey, where he was a two-time high school All-American. Thompson was considered the number one high school prospect in the land. He elected to play college basketball for Denny Crum at the University of Louisville. His team reached the semi-finals of the national championship his freshman year, where they lost to the University of Houston. In his junior year he led the Cardinals in scoring, rebounding and assists. His senior season the Cardinals won the 1986 NCAA national championship.
In the 1986 NBA Draft he was selected 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks. In a draft-day trade he was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a reserve on the Lakers teams that won back-to-back NBA Championships in 1986-87 and 1987-88. He is one of only four players to have won an NCAA championship and an NBA championship in back to back seasons, the other three being Bill Russell (University of San Francisco 1956, Boston Celtics 1957), Henry Bibby (UCLA 1972, New York Knicks 1973) and Earvin Johnson (Michigan State 1979, Los Angeles Lakers 1980).
After an injury-riddled sophomore season with the Lakers, he was then left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft and was selected by the Miami Heat, where he was a starter for the Heat's inaugural game and averaged 10.8 points per game in Miami's expansion season. As a part-time starter in 1989-90, Thompson averaged 11 points per game. He also appeared in the 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where he finished 7th out of 8 participants.
In 1994 Thompson went to play professional basketball in Turkey for Fenerbahçe. He then played in Israel for Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. from 1994 to 1997. Along with Israeli star Adi Gordon Thompson led Hapoel to two State Cup titles.
Thompson became a born-again Christian during his time with the Lakers, and said that the decision helped him end his drug use. Now he has 5 children and currently pastors a church