Dominique Wilkins

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Dominique Wilkins

Position	Small forward
Nickname	The Human Highlight Film
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight	224 lb (102 kg)
Nationality	United States
Born	January 12, 1960 (age 47) Paris, France
College	Georgia (1979-1982)
Draft	3rd overall, 1982 Utah Jazz
Pro career	1982–1999
Former teams	Atlanta Hawks (1982-1994) Los Angeles Clippers (1994) Boston Celtics (1994-1995) Panathinaikos (1995-1996) San Antonio Spurs (1996-1997) Fortitudo Bologna (1997-1998) Orlando Magic (1999)
Hall of Fame	Inducted 2006

Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960, in Paris, France) is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA and Basketball Hall of Famer. "'Nique" (also nicknamed The Human Highlight Film^[1]) is one of the most prolific scorers and best dunkers in NBA history. He was a part of the all-Rookie team in 1983.

Contents 1 Early life and college 2 NBA career 3 Slam Dunk Contests 4 Notes 5 Lifetime stats 6 Awards and achievements 7 See Also 8 Notes 9 External links

[edit] Early life and college

Wilkins was born in Paris, due to his father being stationed there while in the Air Force. He entered the University of Georgia in 1979 with an established reputation as an exciting player, and averaged 21.6 points a game over his career [[1]]. He left after his junior year, and was selected 3rd overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1982 NBA Draft.

[edit] NBA career

Reluctant to play with the Jazz, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks several months after the draft. The trade included John Drew, Freeman Williams and cash. Prior to his last three seasons (with the Celtics, Spurs and Magic) Wilkins never averaged fewer than 20 points per game and captured a scoring title in 1985-86 with an average of 30.3 points per game.

Wilkins, in addition to his eleven seasons with the Hawks, had short stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, Panathinaikos Athens (a professional team in Greece, with whom he won his first title, the European Clubs' Championship and the Greek Cup), Fortitudo Bologna (a professional team in Italy), the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic before he retired in 1999.

Wilkins was instrumental in the Hawks' prominence in the 1980s, when the club recorded 50-win seasons four times during the decade. As Wilkins entered his 30s, and the Hawks started to require an all-around contribution from their star, Wilkins evolved into an all-around player, averaging 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the 1990-91 season.

Wilkins, a nine-time NBA All-Star and the winner of two NBA Slam Dunk Contests, registered 26,668 points (one of only 12 players to do so) and 7,169 rebounds in his NBA career.

Wilkins' nickname was the "The Human Highlight Film" for his Erving-esque athleticism, and highlight reel dunks which helped him to win two NBA Slam Dunk Contest titles. His trademark dunk was a powerful one or two handed windmill. His duels in the contest with the young Michael Jordan are widely considered to have been the best slam dunk contests ever.

His #21 jersey was retired by the Hawks on January 13, 2001. He is one of four players to have had their jerseys retired by the Hawks.

[edit] Slam Dunk Contests

Wilkins participated in five slam dunk contests winning two. The first one was in 1984, in Denver. Dominique finished third behind Larry Nance and Julius Erving. In 1985, in Indianapolis, he beat Michael Jordan in the finals. In Dallas in 1986, a Jordan-Wilkins rematch was put on hold, since Michael Jordan was injured. Dominique reached the finals where he was upset by his 5' 7" teammate, Anthony "Spud" Webb.

The finally awaited rematch of Wilkins vs Jordan was in the 1988 Chicago All-Star Weekend. The duo put a show for the ages. At the end Michael Jordan prevailed winning 147 to 145. Many thought that if the contest was held in another arena, it would have gone the Nique's way.

In 1990 Dominique decided to make a final appearance in the Slam Dunk contest. He went up against all the new promising stars, like Shawn Kemp, Scottie Pippen and Kenny Walker (the 1989 champion). In the finals he defeated Kenny Smith from the Sacramento Kings. That was Nique's second and final victory in a Slam Dunk contest.

[edit] Notes

• He is the older brother of former NBA guard Gerald Wilkins, and uncle to current Seattle SuperSonics guard Damien Wilkins.
• Wilkins was ranked #27 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
• Wilkins did not foul out during his final 957 games, the third longest such streak (behind Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain).
• The 1987 high octane team Wilkins was part of was referred to as 'Atlanta's Air Force'.
• Wilkins was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on April 3rd, 2004.
• Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3rd, 2006.

[edit] Lifetime stats

• Games: 1,074
• PTS: 26,668
• PPG: 24.8
• RPG: 6.7
• APG: 2.5
• FG% .461
• FT% .811

[edit] Awards and achievements

• 1985-86 NBA Scoring Champion (30.3)
• NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Champion: 1985, 1990.
• NBA All-Rookie Team: 1983.
• All-NBA First Team: 1986.
• All-NBA Second Team: 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993.
• All-NBA Third Team: 1989, 1994.
• Nine-time NBA All-Star: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994.
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2006).
• European Champion: 1996 (Euroleague).
• Greek National Cup winner
• Record holder of most free throws made in an NBA regular season game without a miss - 23, Atlanta vs. Chicago, December 8, 1992 ^[2]

[edit] See Also

• List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions

[edit] Notes

1. ^ http://www.nba.com/history/players/wilkins_summary.html
2. ^ http://www.nba.com/history/records/regular_freethrows.html

[edit] External links

• NBA.com History player file: Dominique Wilkins
• databaseBasketball.com Wilkins stats page
• Niquephreak's Tribute to the Human Highlight Film - Dominique Wilkins
• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame