NBA Great Darryl Dawkins, renowned for his slam dunks that tore off rims and shattered glass backboards while starring for the 76ers, passed a couple of days ago.
While hearing a tribute to him on NPR I learned a couple of Detroit Trivia notes about him.
How did he get his nickname "Chocolate Thunder" and what other Detroit connection did he have?
Give up?
Answers are Here.
He's also the reason collapsible rims were invented.
Doctor "J" watches as the backboard shatters after Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers slammed in a dunk shot.
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^Forgot to add that he also named his dunks.
Quote:
Dawkins dunk names include: In Your Face Disgrace, The Go-rilla, Earthquaker Shaker, Candyslam, Dunk You Very Much, Look Out Below, Yo Mama, Turbo Sexophonic Delight, Rim Wrecker, Greyhound Bus [[went coast-to-coast), Cover Your Head, Spine Chiller Supreme, Slam Bam Thank You Maam and Walk Away From Love.
With all due respect, you forgot the longest one. "The Chocolate -Thunder-Flying- Robinzine Crying-Teeth Shattering-Glass Breaking-Rump-Roasting-Bun-Toasting-Wham-Bam-Glass-Breaker-I-AM-Jam". He name this after the first backboard he destroyed vs the Kansas City Kings in 1979.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lowell
As I remember it, when Dawkins was traded to the Pistons in 1987 he was reportedly personally devastated by the very recent suicide of his estranged wife, had just been bounced between 3 teams in a couple of months, and was apparently both deeply depressed and suffering from a chronic back injury [[which he never really recovered from). Still, GM Jack McCloskey took a chance on bringing him in, in the hopes that he could provide some experienced backup minutes on the front line.
Dawkins ended up "retiring" that season, but came back for a tiny piece at the beginning of the 1988-89 Pistons championship season. However, it soon became clear that his game had become severely limited, and that James Edwards was going to be a much better fit for that assigned role, so Dawkins was cut. He was reported to have cried when McCloskey told him. It was the end of his NBA career.