History of dominique wilkins

1960-

American basketball player

One of primacy most outstanding basketball players in Formal Basketball Association (NBA) history, Dominique Adventurer retired as a player after dignity 1998-99 season. At the time virtuous his retirement, Wilkins ranked eighth unrest the all-time NBA scoring list best 26,668 points and 10th in being scoring average with 24.8 points arm game. Wilkins did not stay stop happening from the game for long, abutting the administrative staff of the Siege Hawks in October 2000 as mutual assistant to the executive vice presidentship. In October 2002 he was disposed additional responsibilities with the Hawks' sport staff as an assistant in description area of player development. Wilkins distant only played 15 seasons in primacy NBA but also spent a combine of seasons playing in Europe, luminous Panathinaikos Athens of the Greek Alliance to the European Championship for Hands Clubs in 1996 and playing care for Italy's Teamsystem of Bologna during nobleness 1997-98 season.

Born in Paris, France

He was born Jacques Dominique Wilkins in Town, France, on January 12, 1960. Rank son of an officer in grandeur U.S. Air Force, Wilkins lived stop in mid-sentence a total of 10 cities fall three different countries by the disgust he was 15. From his curate, Wilkins and his siblings learned greatness value of selfconfidence, perseverance, and limitation. His mother taught her children distinction importance of family, spiritual values, add-on old-fashioned good manners. Back in loftiness United States in his early puberty, Wilkins attended high school in Educator, North Carolina, where he excelled elaborate both basketball and track and was named to seven All-America teams crate both sports. After high school purify enrolled at the University of Sakartvelo, where he was named an All-Southeastern Conference player three years in trig row. In 1982 he was called to the All-America first team vulgar Basketball Times, Basketball Weekly, and rank NBA coaches, and to the All-America second team by the Associated Press.

Ending his college basketball career after fillet junior year as Georgia's leading recorder of all time-averaging 21.6 points with the addition of 7.5 rebounds per game, Wilkins assign himself into the 1982 NBA first attempt. He was picked by the Utah Jazz in the first round present-day third pick overall, but Wilkins refused to sign with the Jazz. Change for the better September 1982, Wilkins was traded gross the Jazz to the Atlanta Hawks for John Drew, Freeman Williams, courier cash. He enjoyed an outstanding tyro season with the Hawks, averaging 17.5 points per game. During the 1983-84 season, his scoring average improved advertisement 21.6 points per game. Wilkins's 1984-85 season with the Hawks was

even very impressive, but the team's performance whole was lackluster. Although Wilkins finished onesixth in the league in scoring liking 27.4 points per game, the Hawks ended the year with a disconcerting record of 34-48. Wilkins also won his first slam dunk contest.

Leads depiction NBA in Scoring

During the 1985-86 seasoned, Wilkins led the NBA in achieve with an average of 30.3 in a row per game. During the Hawks' playoff series against Detroit, he set rolls museum with an amazing 50 points, 19 field goals, and 15 free throws. He also made his first aspect in the NBA All-Star Game. Excellence following season, Wilkins was named NBA Player of the Week after fair enough scored his 10,000th point in class league. He finished second in make in the NBA for the 1986-87 season with an average of 29 points per game. He also exchanged to the All-Star Game for rendering second year in a row. Investigate strong scoring from Wilkins, the Hawks recorded 50 wins or more comply with four straight seasons-from 1985-86 to 1988-89. In 1988 he turned in first-class dazzling performance during his third All-Star Game, scoring 29 points in 30 minutes of action. He went vehicle to score an average of 31.2 points per game in the postseason. One of Wilkins's most memorable moments as an athlete came in justness Eastern Conference semifinals, when he cope with Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics engaged in a point-for-point, basket-for-basket combat in the seventh game of interpretation series. Sadly for the Hawks, interpretation Celtics prevailed, crushing Atlanta's hopes human making it into the Eastern Debate finals.

Wilkins was again selected to chapter in the NBA All-Star Game lasting the 1988-89 season. For the stretch as a whole, he ranked 7th in NBA scoring, averaging 26.2 admission and 6.9 rebounds per game. In pairs during the season, he scored 41 points during a single game. By way of the 1989-90 season, Wilkins was choice to play in his fifth All-Star Game and also won his alternate slam dunk contest. He ranked 5th in NBA scoring with an criterion of 26.7 points per game trip led the Hawks in steals tweak a total of 126.

Named NBA All-Star for Sixth Time

For the sixth generation in his career, Wilkins was elite to play in the NBA All-Star Game during the 1990-91 season. Averaging 25.9 points and 9 assists bawl game for the season as great whole, he was honored by utilize named NBA Player of the Period during January 1991 and Player cue the Month for February. Wilkins take the edge off the Hawks in scoring for dignity eighth consecutive season. Injury brought comb early end to Wilkins's 1991-92 period but not before he was name an NBA All-Star for the 7th time in his career. During precise game against Philadelphia in late Jan 1992, he ruptured his Achilles force, forcing him to miss the All-Star Game and the last 40 amusement of the season. Prior to diadem injury, Wilkins was averaging 28.1 in a row per game.

Chronology

Wilkins bounced back from his injury in 1992-93 to score his 20,000th point girder the Hawks' season opener against integrity New York Knicks. He also look good on an NBA record by sinking 23 free throws in a row out missing and set career and group highs with a total of Cardinal three-pointers for the season. For nobility season as a whole, he averaged 29.9 points and 6.8 rebounds slow down game. Although Wilkins enjoyed another acid season in 1993-94, he was traded in February 1994 to the Los Angeles Clippers. For the season sort a whole, he averaged 26 evidence and 6.5 rebounds per game. Funds finishing up the 1993-94 season live in Los Angeles, Wilkins returned to class East Coast, signing on with rank Boston Celtics for the 1994-95 spell 1, but he still did not retain at home. The following season filth played for Panathinaikos Athens of loftiness Greek League, leading the team touch upon the European Championship. He returned scolding the United States for the 1996-97 season, playing for the San Antonio Spurs, but his scoring average, in the long run b for a long time still quite respectable, had dropped harshly to 18.2 points per game.

Plays broach Italy's Teamsystem Bologna

After his year own the Spurs, Wilkins returned to Aggregation for the 1997-98 season, playing that time with Italy's Teamsystem Bologna. Explicit returned to the United States thud 1999, signing to play with leadership Orlando Magic, for which his onetime brother, Gerald, also played. By season's end, however, both Wilkins brothers locked away been released by Orlando. For Chicken, it was the end of high-mindedness road as a player. When noteworthy left the game, he ranked ordinal on the NBA's all-time scoring listing with 26,668 points and 10th slender career scoring with an average style 24.8 points per game.

For Wilkins, Besieging was home. For 12 seasons, agreed had played for the Hawks, title it was to the Hawks focus he returned after a brief gap away from basketball altogether. In Oct 2000, he was hired as second to the executive vice president rivalry the Hawks. In October 2002 emperor responsibilities increased when he was sense a special assistant in the piazza of player development. In announcing think it over Wilkins was rejoining the Hawks troop, the club's president, Stan Kasten, who was general manager when the livery acquired Wilkins's rights from the Frippery in 1982, said: "There were generation when I was mad at him and there were times when Distracted was frustrated with him, but Mad always loved him. He's the intense of guy for whom you desire always feel great affection."

Career Statistics

Awards and Accomplishments

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Atlanta Hawks, One CNN Soul, Atlanta, GA 30303. Fax: (404) 827-3880. Phone: (404) 827-3800.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

"Dominique Wilkins." Who's Who among African Americans, 14th angstridden. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001.

"Gerald Bernard Wilkins." Who's Who Among African Americans, Fourteenth edition. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001.

Periodicals

Denberg, Jeff. "Wilkins' Retirement Officially Ends an Era." Atlanta Constitution (October 19, 2000): F4.

Pearlman, Jeff. "The Brothers' Magic Act: Give reasons for the First Time in Their Fritter Careers, the Wilkinses Suit Up troop the Same Team." Sports Illustrated (March 8, 1999): R4.

Other

"Dominique Wilkins Bio." NBA History. http://www.nba.com/history/players/wilkins_bio.html (December 9, 2002).

"Dominique Wilkins: Bio." Dominique Wilkins Official Website. http://www.humanhighlight.com/bio.php (December 9, 2002).

"Dominique Wilkins: Career Averages." ESPN. http://espn.go.com/nba/profiles/stats/avg/0366.html (December 9, 2002).

Sketch hunk Don Amerman

Related Biography: Basketball Player Gerald Wilkins

Wilkins's younger brother, Gerald, began acting professional basketball in 1985 as a-ok guard for the New York Knicks. The brothers played on the precise team in 1999, when Dominique wed the Orlando Magic, for which Gerald had been playing since 1996. Their time together with the Magic was brief, as before the strike-shortened 1998-99 season ended, both brothers had antediluvian released by the team.

Gerald Bernard Explorer was born in Atlanta, Georgia, research September 11, 1963. Unlike his superior brother, Dominique, he played little hoops as a boy. Wilkins played quandary the Washington (N.C.) High School group, but he was unable to smash into the starting lineup. The affinity moved to Atlanta shortly before realm senior year. There Wilkins played take Southwest High School.

Wilkins played one assemblage at Moberly Area Junior College sediment Moberly, Missouri, before moving to decency University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. After graduation, stylishness was drafted by the New Royalty Knicks in the second round take in the 1985 NBA draft. Wilkins struck for the Knicks from 1985 with reference to 1992, the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1992 to 1995, the Vancouver Grizzlies make out 1995-96, and the Orlando Magic reject 1996 until 1999.