ATHLETE SHARES DRUG EXPERIENCE

David Thompson knows what it's like to be at the top. And thanks to
drugs and alcohol, he also knows what it's like to hit rock bottom.

Thompson, a former basketball star at North Carolina State University
and the NBA, visited North Moore High School on Thursday morning to
address hundreds of students from Elise Middle, New Century Middle,
Highfalls Elementary and Westmoore Elementary schools.

His message was simple: Stay away from drugs and alcohol to "score big
in life."

"I'm talking to people like yourselves about making the right choice,"
he said. "The ultimate choice is to say no to drugs and alcohol and
yes to Jesus."

Later in the day, Thompson spoke at a Drug Free Moore County luncheon
before visiting South-ern Middle School.

Drug Free Moore County arranged Thompson's visit as part of Red Ribbon
Week, which is celebrated in schools across the nation each October to
focus attention on the importance of substance abuse prevention education.

Thompson's presentation began with a movie that chronicled his
meteoric rise to stardom, which included winning a national
championship with the Wolfpack in 1974.

After being drafted by the Denver Nuggets, Thompson competed for the
NBA's first slam-dunk title against Julius Erving, (also known as Dr.
J). He was also a two-time NBA All Star Game Most Valuable Player.

But for all his success, Thompson struggled with drugs and alcohol,
something that first began to plague him while he was a star at Crest
High School near Shelby.

He said he first tried alcohol when he was on a recruiting trip to the
University of South Carolina.

"That's when I first made the wrong choice," he said. "I drank some
cheap wine, and I was sick for two days. I lied to my parents and told
them I had the flu."

Thompson said he made the right choice by choosing N.C. State over
Duke and the University of North Carolina, but being away from home
for the first time led to more bad decisions.

"It was my first time away from home and a good, strong Christian
influence," he said. "There were a lot of parties that most of the
kids took part in that involved drinking. I felt the peer pressure,
joined the crowd and started to drink."

He recalled partying after the Wolfpack won a national
championship.

"There was more parties and more drinking," he said.

He told the students about a car accident that nearly claimed his
life.

"I decided to quit drinking," he said. "I quit for two whole days.
That's all I could stop for."

In 1975, after being named national college player of the year for the
second straight year, Thompson signed a five-year contract worth $2.5
million with the Denver Nuggets, making him the highest paid rookie in
professional sports.

"All my dreams had come true," he said. "It happened to a person like
me. It could happen to you, young lady, and it could happen to you,
young man.

"It can happen to each and every one of you, but what it's going to
take is a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and a lot of
sacrifices. But most of all, you're going to have to make the right
choices."

By 1978, Thompson was making more than $2 million a year including
endorsements.

"I had a million-dollar home in Denver, Colorado, with an
Olympic-sized swimming pool and a basketball court," he said. "I had a
Rolls Royce, a Porsche and a Mercedes.

"But later on, I got more heavily involved with drugs and alcohol and
ended up losing everything I had worked so hard to gain. Not only did
I lose material things, which can be replaced, I lost self-esteem and
self-worth. I also lost my freedom for a short period of time because
I was incarcerated for four months because of something I did."

He said drugs and alcohol toppled the man who was Michael Jordan's
idol.

"I was a two-time college player of the year and a two-time All Star
MVP," he said. "I was the highest paid professional athlete in the
whole world, yet I went to jail. Drugs and alcohol had taken me all
the way from the top to all the way down to the bottom. That's why I'm
here today to tell you young people that drugs and alcohol are not the
way. Never try it because you never know where it will lead."

Though he's lost his fame and fortune, Thompson said he still
considers himself to be lucky.

"I could have gone the way of another great basketball player,
Maryland's Len Bias," he said. "Everybody was comparing him to Michael
Jordan, but after being drafted No. 2 by the Boston Celtics, Len Bias
made the wrong choice. Len Bias decided to celebrate by using cocaine
and even though it was his first time, he died."

Afterward, Thompson said it means a lot to him to be able to help
children learn about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

"It's real important to talk to kids this age," he said. "They're
getting to an age where they're going to be making some big decisions.
I think it's important to tell them about some of the consequences of
making the wrong decisions.

"They need to see that no matter who you are or where you are, if
you're involved in drugs and alcohol it will cause problems in your
life. Maybe I can help them make good decisions."

Thompson has been sober for 15 years and has been telling his story to
children for the last 13.

June Vetter, executive director of Drug Free Moore County, was
thrilled that Thompson was able to appear.

"We were hoping to be able to get somebody that the kids could relate
to and look up to," she said. "A personal story means so much. You
really saw the kids listening today. It wasn't like a lecture."