Darryl Dawkins, one of the most iconic players in NBA history, has passed away at the age of 58. Dawkins, nicknamed “Chocolate Thunder,” was most well-known for his thunderous slam dunks. His impact went beyond the jams however; Dawkins paved the way for the likes of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James to skip college and go directly to the NBA.
Dawkins was the first player in history to make the high school-to-pros leap when he was taken fifth overall by the 76ers in 1975. At 6’11. 250 pounds, Dawkins was a freak of an athlete who brought uncommon hops to the center position, which was typically dominated by more ground-based big men. In 1979, Dawkins famously shattered not one, but two backboards on slam dunks.
Dawkins averaged 12 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his career, and scored a career-high 16.8 per game with the New Jersey Nets in 1983-84. He was top-10 in the NBA in field goal percentage from 1980 to 1984 and played in the NBA for 14 seasons. Dawkins also briefly played for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Dawkins also claims that he received his “Chocolate Thunder” nickname from blind singer Stevie Wonder, which has led him to believe that Stevie Wonder isn’t nearly as blind as he has claimed.
“Stevie got vision like no other person,” Dawkins said. “I still believe Stevie can see.” In this video an amiable Dawkins rattles off a bunch of dunk names that are mostly unintelligible, but sounded awesome. Dawkins was truly a master of the dunk, and the NBA will sorely miss this departed legend.
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