Skywalker David Thompson is the idol of Air Jordan. Although his registered height is only 1.92 meters, which is shorter than other players on the court, he can fly in the air like a trampoline player. Even if he is always surrounded by four or five athletes taller than him, Thompson can still use his excellent explosive power to perform suffocatingly.

How strong was Thompson in his prime? In the first two seasons when the ABA was merged, he averaged 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team consecutively and was third in the MVP selection in 1978. Thompson was only 23 years old at the time.

At this age, Jordan was suffering from foot injuries and had only played 18 games throughout the season. Kobe was still just the younger brother next to O'Neal and had not yet had his own highlight moment. At least from the perspective of that time, Thompson was not inferior to Jordan and Kobe at the same age in terms of talent and court skills. He even understood one thing earlier than these two historical guards, that is, sacrificing his own data to let others Teammates get better.

In the documentary "Skywalker" about him, his teammate Issel testified. He recalled that all Thompson's teammates loved him because he could help you win. He is the kind of player who can make everyone on the team better, not a guy who steals statistics from his teammates.

Judging from the situation at the time, Thompson was fully capable of becoming the third shooting guard in history. He was the strongest scorer in the late 1970s, but like many NBA players of that period, he was addicted to cocaine and suffered a series of injuries. Therefore, by the time Jordan entered the league in 1984, his idol had already left the basketball court.

Jordan and Kobe continue to achieve brilliance after the age of 23, but Thompson entered a period of decline early due to drug abuse. How high his potential is is still a mystery.