<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">From channel 69 in the Lehigh Valley…Darryl Dawkins is dead at 58. <a href="http://t.co/TWNOkKpFdz">http://t.co/TWNOkKpFdz</a></p>— Noah Coslov (@NoahCoslov) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoahCoslov/status/636966497982783488">August 27, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Had the chance to briefly meet him in Seoul, South Korea. Just a real dude with a genuine character. His chocolate thunder autograph/signature was sick
I had a poster of him when I was a kid. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TtJawsitMsA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
He was one of the reasons (probably the main reason) breakaway rims were introduced, but what I loved about the dude was how he named all his dunks. The dude was hysterical. lol. Back to the planet Lovetron, my man, you died too young. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7aixYmersEA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It would usually take 45 mins or so to set up a new basket. In a related note around the same time frame Rockets were playing the Lakers at the forum and a rockets player takes a shot and misses. Moses catches the rebound and dunks with such force it bent the rim and had to be replaced. Its amazing it took so long for breakaways to become a reality.
RIP Chocolate Thunder! You're younger than I am & that's way too young to die! My thoughts & prayers go out to your family & friends. On a side note, Darryl Dawkins, Bill Willowby & Moses Malone were the original hs to NBA trio. At one time the Rockets had Malone & Willowby (briefly I might add).
First player drafted straight out of high school. Remember seeing his ground (rim) breaking dunks on 80's NBA videos. R.I.P. *edit: ESPN just said he's the first player drafted out of HS who played in the NBA the same season.
I believe that was Reggie Harding in the '60s. As I recall, he had a criminal record as a youth, and had no college options. He was from Detroit and the Pistons drafted him, since he was a 7 footer. After that Bill Willoughby went a year before Dawkins. And, of course, Moses Malone went before both of them, except the ABA stole him before the NBA Draft by offering him something like $1m out of HS.
Before my time. Shame on Mad Sports for reporting that. Harding's troubled life probably led to his murder at age 30.
Heart attack Also, interesting that a man who never saw him play gave him his nickname, "Chocolate Thunder". Stevie Wonder Kinda makes sense a person who relied more on sound conjured the name Thunder.
