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R.I.P "Chocolate Thunder".....


KirtFalcon

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Darryl Dawkins, the NBA player known for his thunderous dunks and flamboyant nickname, has died at the age of 58.

WMFZ-TV in Allentown, Pennsylvania reports a source confirmed to the station that Dawkins died today.

Dawkins made history in 1975, when he became the first player ever drafted directly from high school to the NBA. The native of Orlando played 15 seasons in the NBA, spending the majority of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets. He played in the NBA Finals three times as a member of the 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s but never came away with a title.

Dawkins averaged 12 points a game during his NBA career. In the 1983-1984 season, he set an NBA record for fouls in one season with 386.

Dawkins was known for his powerful dunks during his playing career. In 1979, Dawkins shattered two backboards in separate games which led led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims. Dawkins was nicknamed Chocolate Thunder by singer Stevie Wonder.

Following his retirement from the NBA, Dawkins coached the American Basketball Association's Newark Express and the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, which played in the Lehigh Valley as part of the now-defunct United States Basketball League. Dawkins most recently was the former head coach of the Lehigh Carbon Community College men's basketball team. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailysentinel/obituary.aspx?n=darryl-dawkins&pid=175663858#sthash.jWqrvPx7.dpuf
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I've been a fan of the 76ers since 1976 and I thought that he and the Doc would win a Championship together with Little Mo'. Unfortunately the Sixers didn't get one until after they traded him, and brought in Moses Malone to take the title in 1983. Darryl did finally get a ring in 1989 with the Detroit Pistons. He's throwing down monster dunks in the world to come : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V7z1UY1WbE.

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I've been a fan of the 76ers since 1976 and I thought that he and the Doc would win a Championship together with Little Mo'. Unfortunately the Sixers didn't get one until after they traded him, and brought in Moses Malone to take the title in 1983. Darryl did finally get a ring in 1989 with the Detroit Pistons. He's throwing down monster dunks in the world to come : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V7z1UY1WbE.

 

my favorite player of all time ...

 

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He's the reason I became a Sixers fan. He was doing things on the court that I had never seen done before. David Thompson was another prolific dunker back then, but his drug use curtailed his career, and I never became a fan of his the way I was with Dr. J. One thing that gets me is Darryl is portrayed as the first player to go from high school to the NBA, but actually that happened in 1963 with Reggie Harding. He was initially drafted in 1962, but didn't sign. The next year he did sign after being drafted in the 6th round, but he only played 4 seasons in the NBA and 1 in the ABA.

 

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