The basketball world has lost one of its most colorful characters—Darryl Dawkins passed away Thursday at the age of 58.
SAD NEWS: Darryl Dawkins (1957-2015) One of the NBA's great dunkers, entertainers & characters passed away (age: 58). pic.twitter.com/ngx6QgOHSb
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) August 27, 2015
Dawkins, who played with four teams during a 14-year NBA career, became famous for his rim-destroying dunks and an irrepressible personality.
Rest in peace, Dr. Dunk.
https://t.co/YYMauXboJs
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) August 27, 2015
Dawkins was the first player to be drafted straight out of high school and into the League; he was most recently the former head coach of the Lehigh Carbon Community College men’s basketball team.
Rest in peace, Chocolate Thunder.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement regarding the passing of Darryl Dawkins pic.twitter.com/lwWXmoDoOR
— NBA (@NBA) August 27, 2015
Per the AP:
The Lehigh County, Pennsylvania coroner’s office said Dawkins died Thursday morning at a hospital. No cause of death was immediately announced and an autopsy was scheduled for Friday.
Dawkins spent parts of 14 seasons in the NBA with Philadelphia, New Jersey, Utah and Detroit. He averaged 12 points and 6.1 rebounds in 726 career regular-season games. […] He was selected No. 5 in the 1975 NBA draft by the 76ers.
Dawkins was as revered off the court as he was on it. He remained enormously popular after his playing days were done, even during his stint as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. […] He would name his dunks — the “look out below,” the “yo-mama” and the “rim wrecker” among them — and often boasted that he hailed from the “Planet Lovetron.”
