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Darryl Dawkins
Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A three-time NBA finalist center, he most notably played for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets with brief tenures at the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons later on. His powerful dunks, which shattered two backboards in 1979, led the NBA to adopt breakaway rims.
Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14-year NBA career, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage, and set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386) in 1983–84. Stevie Wonder gave him the nickname Chocolate Thunder.
Dawkins was born in Orlando, Florida on January 11, 1957 to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins. His grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, was fond of the young Darryl and personally raised him. As a 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) senior at Maynard Evans High School, he averaged 32 points and 21 rebounds to lead his team to the state championship, garnering the attention of many Division I colleges across the country.
Having previously considered Florida State, Kansas, and Kentucky as potential destinations should he enter the NCAA stage, Dawkins opted to directly enter the NBA draft out of high school instead of attending college. He made this decision because he wanted to make enough money to help his family escape poverty. He was the first player to be drafted by the NBA immediately after high school.
With the fifth overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Dawkins. He was drafted behind David Thompson, David Meyers, Marvin Webster, and Alvan Adams. He signed a seven-year contract worth $1 million.
Dawkins languished on the Sixers' bench for his first two seasons. In his second season, after playing limited minutes during the regular season, Dawkins was called upon to help the Sixers in their playoff run, to battle Dave Cowens of the Celtics and Moses Malone of the Rockets. The Sixers won both playoff series and advanced to the NBA Finals. Matched up against Portland's Bill Walton, Dawkins helped the Sixers take the first two games before the Trail Blazers won the next four to win the series in six games. In the second game of the series, Dawkins got into a fight with Maurice Lucas, resulting in both players being ejected. Dawkins took his anger out on the 76ers locker room by tearing a toilet out of the wall and dislodging a locker stall and barricading the door with it.
Dawkins' role in helping the Sixers win the Eastern Conference championship established him as one of Philadelphia's top players, on a team that included Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Lloyd Free, and Doug Collins. At 20 years old, Dawkins averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in nearly 25 minutes per game, while ranked second in the league in field goal percentage at .575. For the second straight year, the Sixers earned the top seed in the Eastern Division and advanced to the conference finals, but they were defeated by the Washington Bullets in six games.
Prior to the 1978–79 season, Philadelphia traded McGinnis to the Denver Nuggets, clearing the way for Dawkins to be a permanent frontcourt starter. Over the next three seasons, Dawkins and Caldwell Jones split time at the center and power forward positions. In 1979–80, he averaged 14.7 points and a career-high 8.7 rebounds, helping the Sixers back to the NBA Finals, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
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Darryl Dawkins
Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A three-time NBA finalist center, he most notably played for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets with brief tenures at the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons later on. His powerful dunks, which shattered two backboards in 1979, led the NBA to adopt breakaway rims.
Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14-year NBA career, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage, and set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386) in 1983–84. Stevie Wonder gave him the nickname Chocolate Thunder.
Dawkins was born in Orlando, Florida on January 11, 1957 to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins. His grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, was fond of the young Darryl and personally raised him. As a 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) senior at Maynard Evans High School, he averaged 32 points and 21 rebounds to lead his team to the state championship, garnering the attention of many Division I colleges across the country.
Having previously considered Florida State, Kansas, and Kentucky as potential destinations should he enter the NCAA stage, Dawkins opted to directly enter the NBA draft out of high school instead of attending college. He made this decision because he wanted to make enough money to help his family escape poverty. He was the first player to be drafted by the NBA immediately after high school.
With the fifth overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Dawkins. He was drafted behind David Thompson, David Meyers, Marvin Webster, and Alvan Adams. He signed a seven-year contract worth $1 million.
Dawkins languished on the Sixers' bench for his first two seasons. In his second season, after playing limited minutes during the regular season, Dawkins was called upon to help the Sixers in their playoff run, to battle Dave Cowens of the Celtics and Moses Malone of the Rockets. The Sixers won both playoff series and advanced to the NBA Finals. Matched up against Portland's Bill Walton, Dawkins helped the Sixers take the first two games before the Trail Blazers won the next four to win the series in six games. In the second game of the series, Dawkins got into a fight with Maurice Lucas, resulting in both players being ejected. Dawkins took his anger out on the 76ers locker room by tearing a toilet out of the wall and dislodging a locker stall and barricading the door with it.
Dawkins' role in helping the Sixers win the Eastern Conference championship established him as one of Philadelphia's top players, on a team that included Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Lloyd Free, and Doug Collins. At 20 years old, Dawkins averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in nearly 25 minutes per game, while ranked second in the league in field goal percentage at .575. For the second straight year, the Sixers earned the top seed in the Eastern Division and advanced to the conference finals, but they were defeated by the Washington Bullets in six games.
Prior to the 1978–79 season, Philadelphia traded McGinnis to the Denver Nuggets, clearing the way for Dawkins to be a permanent frontcourt starter. Over the next three seasons, Dawkins and Caldwell Jones split time at the center and power forward positions. In 1979–80, he averaged 14.7 points and a career-high 8.7 rebounds, helping the Sixers back to the NBA Finals, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.