Darryl Dawkins (born 11 January 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBAs Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. His nickname, Chocolate Thunder, was bestowed upon him by Stevie Wonder. He was known for his powerful dunks, which notably led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to him shattering the backboard on two occasions in 1979. Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in the NBA Finals three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On the flip side, Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983–84), and he never quite lived up to the expectations that had been heaped upon him when he was drafted out of high school. Many of us will judge him solely on what he could have been, said Dave Wohl, who played against and coached Dawkins, in Sports Illustrated. Too many will be blinded by the flashes of brilliance that never materialized into consistent greatness. There were times when he teased us with a hint of how he could dominate a game. And we went home in awe and yet sad because we knew of no spell to make it happen more frequently. But few players could make us feel that way even once. game against the Kansas City Kings at Kemper Arena in November 1979, Dawkins threw down such a massive dunk that the backboard shattered, sending the Kings Bill Robinzine ducking. Three weeks later he did it again, this time at home against the San Antonio Spurs at the Spectrum. A few days after that the NBA ruled that breaking a backboard was an offense that would result in a fine and suspension. Dawkins named the first backboard-breaking dunk The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam. He named other dunks as well: the Rim Wrecker, the Go-Rilla, the Look Out Below, the In-Your-Face Disgrace, the Cover Your Head, the Yo-Mama, and the Spine-Chiller Supreme. The 76ers also kept a separate column on the stat sheet for Dawkins’s self-created nicknames: Sir Slam, Dr. Dunkenstein, and Chocolate Thunder. Also, he claimed to be an alien from the planet Lovetron where he spent the off-season practicing interplanetary funkmanship and where his girlfriend Juicy Lucy lived. No. 53, 45, 50 Center Personal information Born 11 January 1957 (age 58) Orlando, Florida Nationality American Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Listed weight 251 lb (114 kg) Career information High school Maynard Evans (Orlando, Florida) NBA draft 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers Pro career 1975–2000 Career history 1975–1982 Philadelphia 76ers 1982–1987 New Jersey Nets 1987 Utah Jazz 1987–1989 Detroit Pistons 1989–1991 Auxilium Torino (Italy) 1991–1992 Olimpia Philis Milano (Italy) 1992–1994 Libertas Forlì (Italy) 1994–1995 Harlem Globetrotters 1995–1996 Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) 1999–2000 Winnipeg Cyclone (IBA) Career NBA statistics Points 8,733 (12.0 ppg) Rebounds 4,432 (6.1 rpg) Blocks 1,023 (1.4 bpg)
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:10:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015