Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and coach. He was particularly known for his tenure with the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

and

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, although he also played briefly for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

late in his career. His nickname, "Chocolate Thunder", was bestowed upon him by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting

breakaway rim A breakaway rim is a basketball rim that contains a hinge and a spring at the point where it attaches to the backboard so that it can bend downward when a player dunks a basketball, and then quickly snaps back into a horizontal position when t ...

s due to him shattering a backboard on two occasions in 1979. 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 The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

three times as a member of the

in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He also won an

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

in 1989 with the

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).

Early life

Dawkins was born in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, 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 senior at Maynard Evans High School in

, Dawkins averaged 32 points and 21 rebounds to lead his team to the state championship. He was heavily recruited by Division I colleges across the country, and he narrowed his choices to

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

NBA career

Dawkins opted to directly enter the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

out of high school instead of attending college. He made this decision because he wanted to make enough money to help his grandmother, mother, and siblings to escape poverty. He was the first player to enter the NBA immediately after high school.

Philadelphia 76ers

With the fifth overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft, the

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 Moses Eugene Malone Sr. (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A ...

of the Rockets. The Sixers won both playoff series and advanced to the

. Matched up against Portland's

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...

, 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 Maurice Lucas (February 18, 1952 – October 31, 2010) was an American professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star and won ...

, 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 Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, 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 The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

in six games. Prior to the 1978–79 season, Philadelphia traded McGinnis to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, 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

, which they lost to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in six games. In the 1981 season, Dawkins produced a .607 field-goal percentage, second in the NBA to Artis Gilmore's .670. Dawkins averaged 14 points and 7.2 rebounds for the year, but Philadelphia failed to return to the Finals. The club met the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the Eastern Conference Finals and lost in seven games. The 76ers suffered another postseason disappointment in 1982 when they reached the Finals but lost again to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Frustrated with the team's inability to handle Lakers center

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

, Sixers management traded Dawkins to the

and Caldwell Jones to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

for

, who helped Philadelphia win the NBA championship the following year.

New Jersey Nets

Dawkins was traded to the Nets during the 1982 off-season in exchange for a first-round draft pick. At age 25, Dawkins joined a Nets club that included

Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...

, Buck Williams, and Otis Birdsong. His first two seasons with the Nets were successful for both sides, as Dawkins experienced a career renaissance of sorts and the Nets had their most successful seasons to that point. In the 1982–83 season, Dawkins averaged 12 points and shot .599 from the floor, ranking third in the league in field-goal percentage. The Nets' 49–33 record that year was their best record since the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

, and remained their best record until the 2001–02 season. The next season, he poured in a career-high 16.8 points per game on .593 field-goal shooting and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per contest. On November 3, 1983, Dawkins grabbed what would be his highest rebound total as a Net, with 15 during a 112–107 win over the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. Two days later, on November 5, 1983, Dawkins set the Nets' franchise record for blocks in a single game, with 13. In the first round of the playoffs, the sixth-seeded Nets were matched up with Dawkins' former team, the

. The Nets won the first two games in Philadelphia of the best-of-five series, which were the first playoff game victories in team history. After Philadelphia won the next two games, the Nets won a decisive game 5 when Dawkins' defense on reigning MVP Moses Malone helped New Jersey overcome a late deficit to win their first playoff series. The Nets' playoff series win over the defending NBA champions was ranked as the seventh-greatest playoff upset by ''Sports Illustrated.'' Despite Dawkins averaging 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the following series against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, including leading all scorers with a career playoff-high 32 points in a 106–100 game 1 win, the Nets would lose the series in six games after losing game 6, during which Dawkins scored 29 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, by one point, at a score of 98–97. For the playoffs, Dawkins averaged 18.4 points. With the Nets looking to be a team on the rise led by Dawkins, they entered the 1984–85 season with high expectations. However injuries limited him to just 39 games. 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. He only played six games in the 1986–87 season, after a second back surgery in less than two years.

Later career

Dawkins was traded to the

in a seven-player, three-team trade during the 1987 offseason. His tenure with Utah lasted just four games before the Jazz traded him to the

for a pair of second-round draft picks and an undisclosed amount of cash. Dawkins' personality was a natural fit on the " Bad Boys" Pistons team, and despite being limited to 14 games over two seasons, he was considered to be one of the leaders of the team. Dawkins was often inactive for games as he was still recovering from his back injuries and dealing with the death of his estranged wife. In his final season in the NBA, the Pistons won the

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

, and Dawkins finally earned a championship ring. Dawkins received a training camp invitation from the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

for their inaugural season in 1989, but he opted to play in Italy. He spent several seasons in Italy, playing for Torino,

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

and Telemarket Forli. He attempted a comeback in 1994, attending Denver Nuggets training camp, and again in 1995 with the Boston Celtics. Dawkins set an NBA record by committing 386 personal fouls during the 1983–1984 season. He committed one more personal foul during his career than

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

, despite playing nearly 350 fewer games.NBA & ABA Single Season Leaders and Records for Personal Fouls
at basketball-reference.com

Signature dunking

In a game against the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

at Municipal Auditorium on November 13, 1979, Dawkins broke the backboard, sending the Kings' Bill Robinzine ducking. Three weeks later he did it again, this time at home against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

at the

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

. A few days after that the NBA created a new rule that breaking a backboard was an offense that would result in a fine and suspension. Dawkins named the first backboard-breaking dunk "The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam." He named other dunks as well: the Rim Wrecker, the Go-Rilla, the Look Out Below, the In-Your-Face Disgrace, the Cover Your Head, the Yo-Mama, the Spine-Chiller Supreme, and the Greyhound Special (for the rare occasions when he went coast to coast). The 76ers also kept a separate column on the stat sheet for Dawkins's self-created nicknames: "Sir Slam" and "Chocolate Thunder." Dawkins also wore gold chain necklaces during games until the end of the 1980 NBA Finals when the NBA banned players from wearing them on court. One gold chain had a cross while the other featured one of his nicknames "Sir Slam" in gold script. He also had a similar necklace that has another nickname "Dr. Dunk" in gold script. Sometimes, Dawkins would also shave his head and have it oiled along with wearing an earring. At one point, Dawkins claimed to be an alien from the planet Lovetron, where he spent the off-season practicing "interplanetary funkmanship" where his girlfriend Juicy Lucy lived. Musician

, who frequently attended Sixers games, gave Dawkins the nickname "''Chocolate Thunder''".

Post-NBA career

Following his NBA career, Dawkins had a brief stint with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

, followed by a season spent with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

in the 1995–96 season. During this season, the Skyforce's games against the Florida Beach Dogs were broadcast nationally by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, as the Beach Dogs included another former NBA player,

Manute Bol Manute Bol ( ; June 19, 2010) was a Sudanese-American professional basketball player and political activist. Listed at or tall, Bol was one of the two tallest players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After he p ...

. Dawkins was the head coach of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

's Newark Express. He was also the player/coach of the Winnipeg Cyclone, a team in the short-lived International Basketball Association in 1999–2000. Dawkins averaged 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 games played with the Cyclone. Dawkins was the head coach of the

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

-based Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League (USBL) until they folded. He was selected as the USBL Coach of the Year in 1999. Dawkins appeared in one game with ValleyDawgs during the 2000 season. On August 20, 2009, Lehigh Carbon Community College, located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, announced Dawkins as head coach of the basketball team. He served in that role from 2009 to 2011.

Other media

On April 7, 1986, he appeared at '' WrestleMania II'' as a guest judge for a boxing match between

Mr. T Laurence T (born Laurence Tureaud; May 21, 1952), known professionally as Mr. T, is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A ...

(with

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

, The Haiti Kid) versus

Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...

(with

Bob Orton Robert Keith Orton Sr. (July 21, 1925 – July 16, 2006) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. The patriarch of the Orton wrestling family, his two sons Bob Orton Jr. and Barry Orton, and grandson Randy Orton, have all wr ...

and Lou Duva). In 1989, Dawkins appeared as himself (credited as "The Basketball Star") in the documentary ''The Big Bang''. Dawkins appears in ''

NBA Ballers ''NBA Ballers'' is a 2004 streetball simulation video game developed and published by Midway Games, Midway. The game features fictional National Basketball Association, NBA analyst Bob Benson (voiced and depicted by Terry Abler) and Supernatura ...

'' and the '' NBA 2K'' video games as a reserve member of the 1980s Legends East Team. He also appears in '' NBA Live Mobile'' as a Legend based on his 1979–80 season with the Sixers. In 2005, Dawkins was one of several former NBA players to audition for an analyst position with ESPN, as part of the network's

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

Dream Job ''Dream Job'' is an American reality television series made by ESPN, which premiered on February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of '' Beg, Borrow & Deal'' having previously aired. However, this was the firs ...

''.

Personal life

Dawkins' autobiography ''Chocolate Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Times of Darryl Dawkins'' (co-authored with Charley Rosen) chronicles his on- and off-the-court life as an NBA star. In the book, Dawkins chronicled some of the racism he encountered during his NBA career, playing alongside 76ers superstar

, and his off-the-court experiences with drugs, partying, and women. In September 1986, Dawkins eloped with Kelly Barnes of

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

. 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. In 1988, Dawkins married a former Nets cheerleader, Robbin Thornton; they divorced after 10 years. Dawkins later remarried; he and his wife, Janice, had three children: Nick, Alexis, and Tabitha, a daughter from Janice's previous relationship who has Down syndrome. His son, Nick Dawkins, plays football at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

. In 1999, ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' named Dawkins the "Man of the Millennium" in a '' Weekend Update'' sketch.

Death

Dawkins died on August 27, 2015, in

, at the age of 58. The Lehigh County coroner's office announced that an autopsy would be performed on August 27, but according to a statement released by Dawkins' family, the cause of death was a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. Over 600 people attended his public casket viewing. Among them were former boxing heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, former 76ers teammate Billy Cunningham (who also coached Dawkins for five of his seven seasons with the team), former New Jersey Net Tim Bassett, and modern NBA players Jason Thompson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, 59 , , 0 , , 11.6 , , .628 , , , , .506 , , 3.9 , , .4 , , .2 , , .8 , , 5.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 11 , , 24.6 , , .575 , , , , .709 , , 7.9 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.8 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 12 , , 26.1 , , .517 , , , , .672 , , 8.1 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 1.8 , , 13.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 80 , , 31.8 , , .522 , , .000 , , .653 , , 8.7 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 1.8 , , 14.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 76 , , 27.5 , , .607 , , – , , .720 , , 7.2 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 48 , , 36 , , 23.4 , , .564 , , .000 , , .695 , , 6.4 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 81 , , 81 , , 25.8 , , .599 , , – , , .646 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 1.9 , , 12.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 80 , , 29.8 , , .593 , , .400 , , .735 , , 6.7 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 39 , , 30 , , 24.9 , , .566 , , .000 , , .711 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .9 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 3 , , 23.7 , , .644 , , .000 , , .707 , , 4.9 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.2 , , 15.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 2 , , 17.7 , , .625 , , – , , .708 , , 3.2 , , .3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .143 , , – , , .333 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .500 , , – , , .667 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .5 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 14 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .474 , , – , , .500 , , .5 , , .1 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 726 , , 412 , , 23.7 , , .572 , , .133 , , .685 , , 6.1 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 12.0

Playoffs

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1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

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, 18 , , , , 18.4 , , .526 , , , , .660 , , 5.4 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" ,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , , , 18.0 , , .509 , , , , .529 , , 5.7 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" ,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , , , 28.3 , , .528 , , , , .681 , , 9.1 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 1.8 , , 16.0 , - , align="left" ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 18* , , , , 33.7 , , .529 , , .000 , , .645 , , 7.6 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , 2.3 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , , , 26.3 , , .562 , , – , , .721 , , 6.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , 1.0 , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , 1982 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 21* , , , , 21.9 , , .556 , , – , , .660 , , 4.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , 1.7 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" ,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , , , 29.5 , , .773 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 2.5 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

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1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

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, 3 , , 3 , , 21.3 , , .478 , , – , , .750 , , 4.7 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 2.0 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , 1986 , align="left" ,

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References

External links

nba.com historical playerfile

"Remembering the shattered backboards"
featuring Darryl Dawkins
Darryl's Online Memorial Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawkins, Darryl 1957 births 2015 deaths African-American basketball coaches American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Florida American expatriate basketball people in Italy Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino players Basketball players from Orlando, Florida Centers (basketball) Detroit Pistons players NBA high school draftees New Jersey Nets players Olimpia Milano players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Participants in American reality television series Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) players Sportspeople from Allentown, Pennsylvania United States Basketball League coaches Utah Jazz players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Maynard Evans High School alumni

Early life

NBA career

Philadelphia 76ers

New Jersey Nets

Later career

Signature dunking

Post-NBA career

Other media

Personal life

Death

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links