NFL Insider: Legendary David Thompson cheers on champion Nuggets -- and shows love for Broncos

Jun. 17—David Thompson went to the NBA Finals to cheer on the Nuggets.

In the process, he met a bunch of Broncos.

Thompson was a star guard for the Nuggets from 1975-82 and went on to make the Hall of Fame. When he was playing in Denver, the Broncos in 1977 captivated the city by coming out of nowhere to make it to Super Bowl XII. Even though they lost 27-10 to Dallas, Thompson was hooked on the team.

"I kind of fell in love with the Broncos," Thompson said. "I knew all those guys. Rick Upchurch, Haven Moses, I'd hang in the same area with those guys. Craig Morton lived near me in Greenwood Village."

Thompson grew up near Charlotte, N.C., and long has lived in the city. When the Carolina Panthers came to Charlotte in 1995, they became his favorite NFC team. But the Broncos remain his favorite AFC outfit.

Thompson attended Game 2 of the Finals and last Monday's Game 5, when the Nuggets wrapped up the series 4-1 over the Miami Heat. Obviously, it was a big thrill for Thompson to see the franchise win its first championship.

"I'm so happy, mostly for the fans who supported the team through thick and thin," Thompson said. "I was talking to (former Nuggets star center) Dan Issel and I told him that we were the roots of the team and we finally got to see the fruit come to bear."

But Thompson wasn't just talking basketball when at Ball Arena. In Game 5, he sat next to Broncos coach Sean Payton and peppered him with questions about the team. He also met Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and running back Terrell Davis for the first time. And he rekindled his relationship with Denver quarterback Russell Wilson, who played from 2008-10 at North Carolina State, the school Thompson led to an NCAA basketball title in 1974.

"I used to go to all his games at North Carolina State and I followed them wherever they went," Thompson said. "I actually went down to a bowl game in Florida (the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando) that they played in. I love watching him play."

Thompson met Wilson when he was in college and when he played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2012-21. And after Wilson joined the Broncos last season, Thompson was in the stands for a Denver home game last December against Kansas City.

"I came out with my cousin, Curtis Brown, and we both had Russell Wilson jerseys on," Thompson said.

During Game 5, Thompson said he and Wilson "showed each other the Wolfpack sign" for North Carolina State. He talked to Wilson after the game and took photos with him, wife Ciara and their three children.

During the game, Payton asked Thompson a lot of questions about basketball, and the Hall of Famer was impressed.

"He's very knowledgeable about basketball," Thompson said. "You can tell he's a coach. He was analyzing the game as it went on."

Football also was discussed by Thompson and Brown, who also was at Game 5. Brown lived in Denver for 20 years and is an avid Broncos fan. Payton, a first-year coach who inherited a team that went 5-12 in 2022, was on hand with his wife, Skylene.

"(Payton) seemed to think that they'll be really good and back on track," Thompson said. "He was assuring me that Russell is going to be all right (after struggling last season)."

During the game, Thompson got a text from his cousin, Alvin Gentry, who had seen the two sitting next to each other on television. Gentry, who coached the New Orleans Pelicans from 2015-20 and got to know Payton when he was then coaching the Saints, told Thompson to say hello to the Broncos boss, and Thompson did.

Thompson had photos taken with Payton. He met Manning, who led Denver to a Super Bowl 50 win in his final NFL game in February 2016, and the two posed for a photo.

"He's a very nice man," Thompson said. "I'm so happy for what he did for the Broncos. I talked to him a little bit about the team, and he said he's still involved somewhat with the team."

Then Thompson ran into another Hall of Famer in Davis. More photos were taken.

"We're fans of each other," Thompson said of meeting a number of notable Broncos. "It was a great evening. It was great to meet some nice, down-to-earth guys."

The day after the Nuggets won the title, Thompson flew back to Charlotte. But he's planning to return to Denver for the Oct. 29 game against the Chiefs, when he again might be sitting in the stands wearing a Wilson jersey.

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WHAT I'M THINKING

—The Broncos' signing of outside linebacker Frank Clark was a good move. After turning 30 last Wednesday, Clark might not end up in a fourth Pro Bowl or approach a third double-digit sack season, but he still can be an effective pass rusher. And Clark, who was signed after Baron Browning suffered a knee injury that could keep him out for at least the first six games, comes to Denver with a salary that hardly is out of line. He will make a base salary of $5.5 million and could earn another $2 million in incentives.

—Former Broncos head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who turns 76 Wednesday, might coach until he's 80. Phillips said he will be back in 2024 for a second season as coach of the Houston Roughnecks. He's showing no signs of slowing down.

"The XFL, I think some good things are happening," Phillips said. "We had a lot of players go out and I think are going to make some (NFL) teams. It's a neat deal."

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WHAT I'M HEARING

—Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich battled hamstring injuries as a rookie and missed seven games. He wants to make sure that doesn't happen again in 2023. "That's definitely been a huge part of my offseason since January, making sure that I can be more flexible to try to limit injuries and try to get a better routine to make sure my body is all good," he said. Overall, Dulcich looked good during spring drills.

—When Jim Turner was Denver's kicker from 1971-79, two of the team's primary quarterbacks were Morton and Charley Johnson. Both were downcast when informed of the passing of Turner at age 82 on June 10.

"Oh, my goodness," said Johnson, who played for the Broncos from 1972-75. "We were very close."

Morton, who played for Denver from 1977-82, said he was saddened but wanted to put a positive spin on his time spent with Turner.

"I smile when I hear his name," Morton said. "He and I had a great relationship and it was a great time to play for the Broncos."

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WHAT I'M SEEING

—The Broncos don't look to have settled on a kicker for 2022. After releasing Brandon McManus, they signed Elliott Fry, who has played in three NFL regular-season games. They then brought in Randy Bullock, a 10-year veteran, for a tryout at the recent mandatory minicamp, although he didn't do enough to immediately get signed. After Fry and Bullock both kicked straight-on 9-yard field goals at a practice as a tribute to straight-on booter Turner, Payton said, "We looked a little better kicking straight on than we did with the soccer-style attempts."

It was meant as a quip but it also shed some light on Denver's uncertain kicking situation.

—Center Lloyd Cushenberry could be a weak link in Denver's offensive line, but there's no indication yet that he's in much jeopardy of not being a starter. "He's super bright and he's picked up the offense really quickly," said offensive line coach Zach Strief. Other Denver centers are Kyle Fuller, who is the second-best NFL player with that name and mostly a career reserve, Luke Wattenberg, who started one game last season as a rookie, and rookie Alex Forsyth, a seventh-round pick.

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THE LISTS

LAST OF THE TOE GUYS

In his final season of 1979, Turner was one of last of the NFL's straight-on kickers. Mark Moseley, who kicked for Washington and Cleveland in 1986, turned out to be the final one in the league. Here's a look at straight-on kickers still active in 1979 in order of how many points scored:

Mark Moseley, Washington, 114

Don Cockroft, Cleveland, 89

Jim Turner, Denver, 71

Rick Danmeier, Minnesota 67

Tom Dempsey, Buffalo, 11

Russell Erxleben, New Orleans, 10

RIVALRY OUT OF THE GATES

The Broncos and Raiders have met 125 times since both entered the AFL in 1960, with the Raiders holding a 70-53-2 edge while playing in Oakland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The rivals will meet for the ninth time in the opener Sept. 10 in Denver. Here's how the first eight went, all before the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020:

1978: at Denver 14, Oakland 6

1981: at Denver 9, Oakland 7

1986: at Denver 38, Los Angeles 36

1990: at Los Angeles 14, Denver 9

1992: at Denver 17, Los Angeles 13

2008: Denver 41, at Oakland 14

2011: Oakland 23, at Denver 20

2019: at Oakland 24, Denver 16