Darryl Dawkins, who became famous for backboard-shattering dunks after he was the first NBA player to skip college altogether, has died at age 58. [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]. I can't tell you why that is. And Dawkins is definitely a noteworthy player. "If you were a writer, he was a delight because everything that came out of his mouth was shocking or entertaining," Spanarkel said. Short on ego, long on kindness, Darryl always made time to speak with everyone . Darryl touched the hearts and spirits of so many with his big smile and personality, ferocious dunks, but more than anything, his huge, loving heart," the statement said. . Instead, he had to learn as a pro, struggling through his first few seasons. His two ferocious dunks in 1979 caused the league to switch over. There was the Rim Wrecker, the Look Out Below, The In Your Face Disgrace, The Yo Mama, The Spine Chiller Supreme, and on the occasion that he went coast to coast for a dunk, well those were called the Greyhound Specials. They cheered at the site of the rim sitting on the court. 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sixers Darryl Dawkins hammers another dunk shot through the net to score against the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA playoff game, Tuesday, April 15, 1980, Philadelphia, Pa. Dawkins was a co-high scorer . His family released a statement Thursday afternoon, indicating the former NBA great died of a heart attack. His first two seasons with the Nets were successful for both sides, as Dawkins experienced a career renaissance of sorts[7] and the Nets had their most successful seasons to that point. Darryl Dawkins was not only a champion on the court but also in the community and local reaction to his death has been an outpouring of love. Roberts said action from the players' association on providing screening for their retired players is "imminent.''. Johnny Earl Dawkins Jr. (born September 28, 1963) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the UCF men's basketball team.From 2008 to 2016, he was the head coach of Stanford.He was a two-time All-American and national player of the year as a senior in 1986 while at Duke from 1982 to 1986. The nicknames forever changed depending on how he felt. "The Sixers family is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of an absolute legend, Darryl Dawkins. Sa fortune s lve 2 000,00 euros mensuels [33], In 1999, Saturday Night Live named Dawkins the "Man of the Millennium" in a Weekend Update sketch. June 4, 2021 by Sports History Network. ", "Dawkins, who had many ties to the Lehigh Valley, was pronounced dead at 11:19 a.m. Thursday at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said.". Newly minted Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood said screening for retired players should not be limited to cardiac-related issues. Injuries plagued Dawkins late in his NBA career, and he went overseas for several years to play in the Italian league. MacMullan: Deaths of Dawkins, Malone raise health concerns for NBA retirees, Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, Kyrie teams with Luka for 82: 'Had to join party', LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. That bending motion is what keeps the backboard from shattering. You were very inspirational to a lot of young players. Darryl Dawkins, who in 1975 became the second man, after Moses Malone, to jump directly from high school to the pro basketball, has died. Its worth watching. Darryl Dawkins, one of the most colorful characters in NBA history, has died. He averaged a career-best 16.8 points per game that season, with only foul trouble -- 386 that season, still a league record -- holding him back. Dawkins celebrated for kindness, powerful dunks, Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, Kyrie teams with Luka for 82: 'Had to join party', LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. "You could use the model they have for dogs," Bove said. but according to a statement released by Dawkins' family, the cause of death was a heart attack. tyson jost dad; sean penn parkinson's disease; mockingbirds attacking my cat "Darryl touched the hearts and spirits . Dawkins was always cool with us . "We haven't done enough for our past players, who have a rich history of promoting our game. But unlike Shaq, Dawkins never claimed an NBA title. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday. With the Nets looking to be a team on the rise led by Dawkins, they entered the 198485 with high expectations. Increasingly rainy and windy with a brief wintry mix this evening changing to rain; wintry mix lasting longer in the Poconos, where 1-3" of snow and sleet plus a glaze of ice possible. Some of you might say that Moses Malone was drafted out of high school a year before Dawkins. He was raised mostly by his mother, the former Harriet James, though Mr. Tyler, his friend, said he remained close to his father, Frank Dawkins. There is no precedent for this. A spokesperson for Lehigh Valley . Winds may gust 30-40mph. Yet Malone, 60, was found dead in a Norfolk, Va., hotel room Sept. 13. The team had been to the NBA Finals three times while Dawkins played on the team. Well, probably not the only thing. Telephone calls to the county medical examiner's . The entertainer is blind, yet even he could tell there was something unique about Dawkins' game. Dawkins was traded to the Utah Jazz in a seven-player, three-team trade during the 1987 offseason. The world of basketball lost one of its most colorful characters with the death of Darryl Dawkins on Thursday. "Darryl touched the hearts and . "Darryl touched the hearts and . "I wish I could give you an exact timetable, but we have to make sure all the components are in place," Roberts said. He called Dawkins into his office in New York to tell him in no uncertain terms that he was never to break the backboard again or else he would be fined and suspended. The man known as 'Chocolate Thunder' threw it down like few before him, and his impact on above-the-rim play can be felt to this day. Trenton police said Kelly Barnes Dawkins, 28, died . Darryl Dawkins, seen here at the 2013 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, died Thursday at age 58. The guest was Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder. Free. The crowd couldnt believe it. "Simply put, Darryl Dawkins was beloved-by his family, friends . We have black men from our league walking around with prostate cancer, and they don't even know it. But you are in a better place. Across town, National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts mourned the player she celebrated as a young basketball fan growing up in the Bronx. I can't believe that you're gone. Decent numbers but not the kind of Hall of Fame career his immense talent said he should have had. Dawkins averaged 14points and 7.2rebounds for the year, but Philadelphia failed to return to the Finals. A spokesperson for Lehigh . Dawkins appeared to return to form the following season averaging 15.3 points and shooting .644 from the floor, but an injury midway through the season kept him out of 31 of the team's final 32 games. Darryl Dawkins, known for his thunderous dunks and flamboyant nickname, has died. List of National Basketball Association career playoff blocks leaders, List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game, "Stevie Wonder gave Darryl Dawkins his 'Chocolate Thunder' nickname", "A Game Played Above the Rim, Above All Else", "Dawkins Does Not Regret Heading To Nba 25 Years Ago He Left Maynard Evans High School In 1975 To Help His Family Make It Through Financial Difficulties", "Why Pros Spent 20 Years Shunning High Schoolers", "Philadelphia 76ers at New Jersey Nets Box Score, November 5, 1983", "Nets Franchise Single Game Record Blocks", "For the 76ers, it was almost a Net loss", "To the New Jersey Nets, there's no place like", "Mavericks defeat Lakers - 2011 (Western Conference semifinals) - Greatest NBA Playoff Upsets - Photos - SI.com", "1984 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Nets vs. . 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. [10][11] In the first round of the playoffs, the sixth seeded Nets were matched up with Dawkins' former team, Philadelphia 76ers. We've lost a dear friend and an iconic figure, both on and off the court. After his NBA career, Dawkins played several seasons in Italy before taking several coaching positions and serving as an ambassador for the NBA. [32] The following autumn, the two were planning to divorce when she committed suicide on November 1, 1987, at her parents' home in New Jersey; Dawkins was in Utah with his team at the time. He was heavily recruited by Division I colleges across the country, and he narrowed his choices to Florida State, Kansas, and Kentucky. I do all of those things. Longtime 76ers center Darryl Dawkins died Thursday at the age of 58. 1:45 PM PT -- Darryl's family says he died from a heart attack today. He will be missed but not forgotten. So they traded Dawkins to the New Jersey Nets in order to create salary space to go after Malone, which they did. Later Thursday, Dawkins' family said a heart attack was the cause of death. His endearing charm, infectious smile and unparalleled sense of humor will be sorely missed. Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 198384). No cause of death was immediately announced and an autopsy was scheduled for Friday. "The NBA family is heartbroken by the sudden and tragic passing of Darryl Dawkins," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "He will be missed but not forgotten.". The Associated Press, ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk and ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report. He was the first high school player to be taken in the first round of the draft. . American basketball player-coach. Being a bunch of comedians, the folks at Saturday Night Live announced their selection for the Man of the Millennium as none other than Darryl Dawkins. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code, Vast majority of U.S. homes are unaffordable to the average buyer. "I said, 'C'mon now, I'm not on 'Ballers.' He was born and raised in Orlando, FL. The club met the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and lost in seven games. But first, let me give you some history on Chocolate Thunder. We ask that the public please respect our privacy as we grieve his loss.". 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Wild misses votes this week due to 'unexpected medical condition', Basketball doubleheader at Whitehall High School set for Friday, in big championship night for District XI, Former Penn State Berks soccer player among dead in violent Monroe County crash, Berks County Intermediate Unit receives $3.18 million in grants for Head Start programs, 'First in the nation' bill to provide free screenings for breast cancer to receive full Pa. Senate vote, Reading Area Water Authority looking for leak on North Heidelberg Township line, North Heidelberg Water System customers urged to suspend overnight water usage due to leak in system, Fireworks for Reading's 275th anniversary moved to new date, Former Pennsylvania health official will visit Kutztown University, Exeter celebrates boys basketball's 1st-ever title, Former NFL athlete Ross Tucker speaks at Olivet 'Leaders & Legends' dinner. I thought, "Boy, I'd like to have a guy like that watching my back." How many people have we seen in our lifetime who are big and really tall and are 70-something years old? You have permission to edit this article. He briefly had stints in the Continental Basketball Association and the International Basketball Association. They could have selected Leonardo DaVinci, Mozart, Einstein, Galileo, or George Washington. That can lead to hypertension and diabetes, which has proven to be prevalent among African-Americans. But his most famous nickname was actually given to him by Stevie Wonder, and that nickname is Chocolate Thunder. [33] Dawkins later remarried; he and his wife, Janice, had three children: Nick, Alexis, and Tabitha, a daughter from Janice's previous relationship [34] who has Down syndrome. Dawkins grew up in Orlando, Florida and made history as the first player to be drafted to the NBA directly out of high school, after applying for the 1975 Draft as a financial hardship case (a 1971 Supreme Court decision allowed players to go pro without waiting the league-mandated four years after graduating high school, provided they could give evidence of hardship). The Orlando native played 15 seasons in the NBA, spending the majority of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets. There you will see several highlight clips. His death came less than three weeks before the Sixers community lost another former center in Moses Malone, who died Sept. 13, 2015, at age 60. He was selected No. We went up for the dunk and Doug Collins, his point guard, was already running away before the dunk was even completed. [36], Over 600 people attended his public casket viewing. An autoposy will be conducted on . TRENTON, N.J. Police were investigating the death Sunday morning of the estranged wife of professional basketball player Darryl Dawkins. Dawkins was known as much for his dunks as his playing career. He played the game with passion, integrity and joy, never forgetting how great an influence he had on his legions of fans, young and old.". He drifted for several years, floating through Italy and the Continental Basketball Association and even had a brief run with the Harlem Globetrotters, not fully retiring from basketball until 2000.