But first, let me give you some history on Chocolate Thunder. Other than that he had a very average NBA career. Rogowski, who worked for the Houston Rockets in a similar capacity, said he understands the concerns of a population that has seen a slew of former and current players experience heart issues. Longtime 76ers center Darryl Dawkins died Thursday at the age of 58. Who could forget the In-Your-Face-Disgrace? A proper diet, routine exercise, limiting alcohol, eliminating smoking and undergoing regular screening, Bove said, are steps that should alleviate the players' fears. [3], In a surprise move, Dawkins opted to directly enter the NBA draft out of high school instead of attending college. I do all of those things. Decent numbers but not the kind of Hall of Fame career his immense talent said he should have had. Current and former NBA players took to social media to respond to Dawkins' death. I never made that kind of money,'" Haywood said. The Associated Press, ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk and ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report. Free. His name might ring a bell because the NBAs championship trophy is called the Larry OBrien Trophy in his honor. They could have selected Leonardo DaVinci, Mozart, Einstein, Galileo, or George Washington. ILLUSTRATION: Associated Press. So they traded Dawkins to the New Jersey Nets in order to create salary space to go after Malone, which they did. Well, hes famous because of two dunks in late 1979. His 57.2 field goal percentage is seventh best in NBA history. Mr. Dawkins was the fifth selection in the 1975 draft by the 76ers. "I don't believe it's out of malice. "I feel badly these guys feel they are at risk for a shorter life span, but there are other factors that are leading to that.". On August 20, 2009, Lehigh Carbon Community College (located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania) announced that Dawkins would be the head coach of their men's basketball team for the upcoming 20092010 season. "I know things are evolving. Maurice Lucas of the Trail Blazers hauling down a rebound as Philadelphia's Darryl Dawkins battles for position during their NBA championship . The team was led by Dr. J, Julius Erving. He averaged 12 points and 6.1 rebounds in 726 career regular-season games. From 2009-11, he was the head coach of the men's team at Lehigh Carbon Community College. If you really want to see him in action go to YouTube and search for Chocolate Thunder Dunking. Darryl Dawkins was selected with the 5th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1975 NBA draft. Its worth watching. Most of our guys do not. In a statement his family said he died of a heart attack. Nicknamed "Chocolate Thunder," Dawkins played 13 seasons in the NBA after being drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1975. Once he became a regular starter the home announcer in Philadelphia was in a bit of a dilemma because when the starters are announced in the NBA, they include which university the player came from. Newsletters You were one of my favorite players of all time. His first backboard-breaking dunk deserved an outrageous nickname, therefore he called it: The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam. Injuries plagued Dawkins late in his NBA career, and he went overseas for several years to play in the Italian league. Lanier believes those concerns can be rectified with the support of the current union leadership. Dawkins was known as much for his dunks as his playing career. The cause of death remains unknown and investigators did not say if the mix of drugs was a factor. The commissioner realized that the rule may not be enough to stop players from doing this in the future. 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. Dawkins died Thursday at a hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to the Lehigh County coroner's office. 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. Hawkins, 50, died at a hotel in Bogota, with the band due to play at a music festival this weekend. Dawkins played 13 seasons in the NBA after being drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia 76ers. While there was an obvious benefit to exercising, there was also data, according to O'Keefe, that showed some marathoners who engaged in "extreme" exercise over many years developed enlarged hearts and scarring from tearing of tiny heart muscles. The Mercer County, N.J., prosecutor . He remained enormously popular after his playing days were done, even during his stint as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. His family is in our thoughts and prayers," Philadelphia 76ers CEO, Scott O'Neil said in a statement. / CBS/AP. NBA commissioner Adam Silver loved seeing Darryl Dawkins in his official role as an NBA Legend. No cause of death has been determined; an autopsy is scheduled for Friday. Dawkins was traded to the Utah Jazz in a seven-player, three-team trade during the 1987 offseason. Dawkins also gave his time to charity and community efforts, including the Autism Speaks campaign and the Special Olympics. Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 - August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. No cause of death was immediately announced and an autopsy was scheduled for Friday. A shaken Silver called Roberts the morning after Malone passed away. I. The former basketball star was pronounced dead at 11:19 a.m. Thursday in Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, according to Lehigh County Chief Deputy Coroner Andrew Kehm. "It's an extremely high priority for us," Silver said. The nicknames forever changed depending on how he felt. In one anecdote, Bobby Jones told ESPN about the time he smelled smoke after a Dawkins dunk, when Jones played for the Denver Nuggets: " 'This is the truth I'm smelling smoke,' Jones says. 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. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. Darryl Dawkins, seen here at the 2013 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, died Thursday at age 58. Short on ego, long on kindness, Darryl always made time to speak with everyone . Darryl Dawkins in 1995 AP Something needed to be done with the actual equipment. 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 in six games. One gold chain had a cross while the other featured one of his nicknames "Sir Slam" in gold script. Doing a good deed is always a good thing. "It's too close to home," former star center Bob Lanier said. His family, wife Janice, children Dara, Tabitha, Nicholas and Alexis, along with countless family, friends, and fans, all mourn his loss. Players scattered in every direction to get away. R.I.P. 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 appears in NBA Ballers and the NBA 2K video games as a reserve member of the 1980s Legends East Team. Dawkins was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1982, and he helped the team make the playoffs for four-straight seasons. Injuries plagued him late in his NBA career, and he went overseas for several more years to play primarily in the Italian league. But he slowly increased his minutes and production each of his first seven years in the league. Then the team had an opportunity to upgrade at the center position. Jun 12, 2020 10:30 P.M. Dawkins' shows of force unquestionably changed the game. Lehigh Carbon Community College, where Dawkins coached for two seasons, says: "LCCC community is saddened by the passing of Philadelphia 76er legend and former LCCC basketball coach Darryl Dawkins. American basketball player-coach. Over 600 people attended his public casket viewing. "Win or lose, every night I could barely get to my locker.". Darryl Dawkins, a.k.a. Thoughts and prayers go out to Janice and the entire Dawkins family on the passing of a gentleman. The cause of death is said to be a heart attack, according to Dawkins' family. He was taken fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, and with his speed and imposing physical presence, Dawkins was expected to make an immediate impact and though started slow during his first few seasons, he eventually became a key contributor to Sixers squads that battled for Eastern Conference superiority in the late Seventies and early Eighties. 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. Instead, he had to learn as a pro, struggling through his first few seasons. He remained enormously popular after his playing days were done, even during his stint as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. This November 1979 file photo shows Kansas City Kings' Scott Wedman and Philadelphia 76ers' Julius Erving watching as Kings' Bill Robinzine, left, and 76ers' Darryl Dawkins run for cover after Dawkins shattered the glass backboard during a basketball game in Kansas City, Mo. So he convinced the announcer in Philadelphia to say that Dawkins was from the Planet Lovetron, wherein the offseason he would engage in interplanetary funkmanship. Ahh, you can not make this stuff up. Join to be notified of new content from Sports History Network, given to him by Stevie Wonder, and that nickname is Chocolate Thunder. You were very inspirational to a lot of young players. He would coach there for five years before dying of a heart attack in 2015 at the age of just 58. How many people have we seen in our lifetime who are big and really tall and are 70-something years old? People are taking better care of themselves. He was the first high school player to be taken in the first round of the draft. "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. June 4, 2021 by Sports History Network. The 58-year-old NBA star, who lived in the Allentown area, died Thursday. Dawkins was selected No. but according to a statement released by Dawkins' family, the cause of death was a heart attack. [36], Over 600 people attended his public casket viewing. 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. But they lost the Finals in 1977 to the TrailBlazers. Frustrated with the team's inability to handle Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sixers management traded Dawkins to the New Jersey Nets and Caldwell Jones to the Houston Rockets for Moses Malone, who helped Philadelphia win the NBA championship the following year.