(1957-01-11)January 11, 1957 Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Died
August 27, 2015(2015-08-27) (aged 58) Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight
251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school
Maynard Evans (Orlando, Florida)
NBA draft
1975: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career
1975–1996, 1999–2000
Position
Center
Number
53, 45, 50
Coaching career
1998–2006, 2009–2011
Career history
As player:
1975–1982
Philadelphia 76ers
1982–1987
New Jersey Nets
1987
Utah Jazz
1987–1989
Detroit Pistons
1989–1991
Auxilium Torino
1991–1992
Philips Milano
1992–1994
Libertas Forlì
1995
Harlem Globetrotters
1995–1996
Sioux Falls Skyforce
1999–2000
Winnipeg Cyclone
2000
Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
As coach:
1998–2000
Winnipeg Cyclone
1999–2006
Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
2005–2006
Newark Express
2009–2011
Lehigh Carbon CC
Career highlights and awards
As player:
No. 11 retired by Auxilium Torino
2× Italian All-Star Game (1991, 1992)
First-team Parade All-American (1975)
Fourth-team Parade All-American (1974)
As coach:
2× USBL champion (2001, 2004)
USBL Coach of the Year (1999)
Career NBA statistics
Points
8,733 (12.0 ppg)
Rebounds
4,432 (6.1 rpg)
Blocks
1,023 (1.4 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. His nickname, "Chocolate Thunder", was bestowed upon him by Stevie Wonder.[1] He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to him shattering a backboard on two occasions in 1979.[2]
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 three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983–84).
^Freeman, Eric (August 05, 2011). "Stevie Wonder gave Darryl Dawkins his 'Chocolate Thunder' nickname" Archived March 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
^Broussard, Chris (February 15, 2004). "A Game Played Above the Rim, Above All Else". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was particularly known for his tenure...
rebounds, and Norm Nixon. Jim Chones played strong defense on 76ers center DarrylDawkins, while Mark Landsberger provided rebounding off the bench, and little...
playoff low, thanks to the spirited defense of DarrylDawkins. In the midst of the offensive explosion, Dawkins also contributed 20 points and seven rebounds...
servant Dalyn Dawkins (born 1994), American football player DarrylDawkins (1957–2015), American basketball player and coach Derek Dawkins (born 1959),...
careers earlier. Dawkins was selected 5th by the Philadelphia 76ers while Willoughby was selected 19th by the Atlanta Hawks. Dawkins played 14 seasons...
Parliament DarrylDawkins (1957–2015), American National Basketball Association player Darryl Drake (1956–2019), American football coach and player Darryl George...
however, Philadelphia's DarrylDawkins and Portland's Bob Gross both went up for a rebound and wrestled each other to the floor. Dawkins and Gross squared off...
during the franchise's short existence. From 1998-2000, Former NBA star DarrylDawkins served as a players coach for the franchise, winning Co-Coach of the...
school players went directly to the NBA draft for almost 20 years after DarrylDawkins in 1975 because of the exposure of the college games. In the early years...
While Julius Erving played superbly in both series, their frontcourt of DarrylDawkins, Caldwell Jones, and Bobby Jones couldn't neutralize Kareem Abdul-Jabbar...
perhaps best remembered for his inclusion in the highlight footage of DarrylDawkins' backboard-shattering dunk at Kansas City's Kemper Arena on November...
Grizzlies in 1999 and 2004 before becoming a permanent head coach in 2009. DarrylDawkins, the 5th pick, and Bill Willoughby, the 19th pick, became the first...
broadcast by ESPN, as the Skyforce also featured a former NBA player, DarrylDawkins. In 1996, the Portland Mountain Cats of the United States Basketball...
used by the NCAA during the 1978 Final Four in St. Louis. Although DarrylDawkins shattered two backboards with his dunks in 1979, the old-style bolted...
1988–89 Detroit Pistons 63–19 (.768) Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, DarrylDawkins, Fennis Dembo, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Steve Harris, Vinnie Johnson...
Roundfield 23 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 14 Asts: three players 3 each Pts: DarrylDawkins 22 Rebs: Bobby Jones 9 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 Philadelphia leads series...
milestone in Jordan's rise. DarrylDawkins and Shaquille O'Neal gained notoriety for shattering backboards during their careers; Dawkins's incidents are credited...
Maurice Lucas and the 76ers' DarrylDawkins. Bill Walton's two famous plays of tipping the ball against DarrylDawkins off an alley-oop from Bob Gross...
trips until a missed jumper by Bird and two Dawkins free throws made it 109–103 with 1:51 left. Dawkins got a steal, but Maxwell's game-saving block...
straight victories after the famous brawl between Maurice Lucas and DarrylDawkins which ignited the Blazers' team. Erving enjoyed success off the court...
played two exhibition games in the Philippines along with NBA ex-stars DarrylDawkins, Kevin Willis, Calvin Murphy, Otis Birdsong and Alex English. On April...
resulted in an abrasion injury to Bavetta's right knee. According to DarrylDawkins' autobiography, Bavetta was officiating an NBA game during the mid-1970s...
shot, both Bob Gross and DarrylDawkins went up and wrestled for the rebound, and both came crashing to the floor. As Dawkins ran up court, he threw a...
2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023. "DarrylDawkins breaks his first backboard". December 29, 2023. "DarrylDawkins shattered two backboards in three weeks"...
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