"Chocolate Thunder" passes - Leaves Behind Detroit Trivia Questions

[Lowell]

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.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

He's also the reason collapsible rims were invented.

[CassTechGrad]

Doctor "J" watches as the backboard shatters after Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers slammed in a dunk shot.

[Lowell]

^Forgot to add that he also named his dunks.

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.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

^Forgot to add that he also named his dunks.

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.

[EastsideAl]

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.