Darryl Dawkins

Darryl Dawkins
Dawkins in 2009
Personal information
Born(1957-01-11)January 11, 1957
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
DiedAugust 27, 2015(2015-08-27) (aged 58)
Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High schoolMaynard Evans (Orlando, Florida)
NBA draft1975: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1975–1996, 1999–2000
PositionCenter
Number53, 45, 50
Coaching career1998–2006, 2009–2011
Career history
As player:
19751982Philadelphia 76ers
19821987New Jersey Nets
1987Utah Jazz
19871989Detroit Pistons
1989–1991Auxilium Torino
1991–1992Philips Milano
1992–1994Libertas Forlì
1995Harlem Globetrotters
1995–1996Sioux Falls Skyforce
1999–2000Winnipeg Cyclone
2000Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
As coach:
1998–2000Winnipeg Cyclone
1999–2006Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
2005–2006Newark Express
2009–2011Lehigh Carbon CC
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

  • USBL champion (2001, 2004)
  • USBL Coach of the Year (1999)
Career NBA statistics
Points8,733 (12.0 ppg)
Rebounds4,432 (6.1 rpg)
Blocks1,023 (1.4 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association's 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.[1] He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to him shattering a backboard on two occasions in 1979.[2]

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. He also won an NBA Championship in 1989 with the Detroit Pistons even though he only played 14 games for the team that season. Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983–84).

  1. ^ Freeman, Eric (August 05, 2011). "Stevie Wonder gave Darryl Dawkins his 'Chocolate Thunder' nickname" Archived March 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Broussard, Chris (February 15, 2004). "A Game Played Above the Rim, Above All Else". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2017.