The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Men's Basketball The Best G David Thompson; Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics (1975-84): Most peo- ple can cite Thompson's college numbers by chapter and verse, but many somehow believe he wasn't as successful as a professional. That couldn't be further from the truth. His career numbers may have been held down by the knee injuries and his involvement in the NBA's drug culture of the 1970s, but Thompson still wowed fans throughout his career in both the ABA and the NBA. The 1975-76 ABA Rookie of the Year had 50-point games in both leagues, was a five- time All-Star and four-time All-League selec- tion. He won the Most Valuable Player Award in the All-Star Game in 1976 and '79, and was the runner-up to Julius Irving in the inaugural ABA dunk contest. In nine seasons — one in the ABA and eight in the NBA — Thompson scored 13,422 points, far more than any other former NC State player as a pro. The Rest F Kenny Carr; Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Port- land Trail Blazers (1977-87): After three years at NC State — one as a reserve and two as the ACC scoring champion, averaging 26.6 and 21.0 points as a sophomore and ju- nior — Carr became the first Wolfpack player to declare early for the NBA Draft, a sound business decision for the burly forward. The sixth man on Team USA's gold-medal win- ning squad at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Carr was ready to leave college basketball behind. In 1977, he was among six early entry candidates in the draft, and taken as the No. 6 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. He broke first his right foot, then his left foot, in his first two seasons, but averaged dou- ble-digit scoring in each his final eight seasons before retiring in 1987. In 674 career games, he averaged 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. F Thurl Bailey; Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves (1983-99): The only person who benefitted more from NC State's im- probable run to the 1983 NCAA champion- ship than Bailey was head coach Jim Valvano. Bailey, a mid-round NBA prospect going into his senior year, saw his stock rise with every Wolfpack win after January of that season. He became a first-team All-ACC, first-team All-ACC Tournament and first-team All-Final Four selection. The durable 6-11 forward could rebound and block shots with all the other big guys, but the ACC's experimental three-point rule al- lowed him to show he had an inside-out game like few others. The Utah Jazz made him the No. 7 overall pick of the 1983 NBA Draft. Bailey leveraged his skills into a 16-year professional career, 12 in the NBA and four in Europe. In all, he played in 928 NBA games, more than any other former Wolfpack player, averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds pri- marily as the first player off the bench while with the Jazz. G Spud Webb; Atlanta Hawks, Sacra- mento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic (1985-98): For the longest time, basketball fans had a hard time thinking of Webb as more than just a novelty, a 5-7 guard who could jump. The two-year starter at State, who took over for Sidney Lowe at point guard, became an in- stant sensation when he won the NBA's 1986 Slam Dunk Contest, but he spent the next 14 seasons proving he was more than just a side show, playing in 814 games in the NBA and one season in Italy. Webb averaged double-digit scoring in five seasons, and had NBA career clips of 9.9 points and 5.3 assists per game. F Chucky Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Dal- las Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings (1989-2002): The beautiful thing about Brown's career was his ability to step in and help. No matter what a team needed, the 6-9 power forward with the sweet jumper and loose joints could contribute for an entire sea- son or a 10-day contract. In his career, he played for an NBA record- tying 12 teams, not to mention a couple of stints in Italy and the Continental Basketball Association. How good was he as a comple- mentary player? In 1995, Brown was part of two championship teams, the CBA's Yakima Sun Kings and the NBA's Houston Rockets, making him one of the few NC State players to win an NBA title ring. Brown was never a superstar, but he was always a key contributor, always a smiling F Tom Gugliotta; Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timber- wolves, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks (1992-2005) After blossoming into an All-ACC player his final two years at NC State, Gugliotta was the No. 6 overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft by Wash- ington. Over the next 13 years, he was one of the league's top players, though he had some difficult setbacks. He averaged double figures and nearly seven rebounds in each of this first eight seasons in the league. He reached his pinnacle with the Tim- berwolves, averaging more than 20 points a game in back-to-back seasons (1996-97, 1997-98) and becoming a 1997 NBA All-Star. He then signed a six-year, $58-million contract with the Phoenix Suns prior to the 1998-99 sea- son, which was shortened by an owner's lockout. After surviving a near-death experience following a severe reaction to a sleep aid, Gugliotta's health and production began to decline. Reconstructive knee surgery following the 1999-2000 season forced him to give up a spot he earned on the Dream Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He played sparingly over the final five years of his career, retiring in 2005 after splitting the season with the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 9,895 points; grabbed 5,589 rebounds; had 2,140 assist; and made 1,079 steals. PHOTO COURTESY PHOENIX SUNS