Over the years the 76ers have had their fair share of great and exciting players. Coming to mind are Allen Iverson, Dr. J, Charles Barkley, and, what the hell, we'll throw in Manute Bol. But one of my favorite players to watch on highlight reels is Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins, who ran ball in Philly from 1976, when he was drafted out of high school, until he was traded to NJ in 1982.
This 6' 11", 251 lb. hulk of a man played a vintage power game, with crushing dunks, authoritative blocked shots, and hard fouls to anybody who came into the lane. (In fact he has the record for the most personal fouls in a season with 386 in 81 games, or 4.76 per game.) But he also had a flair for fun, gamesmanship, and marketing by giving his dunks humorous names like the "In Your Face Disgrace" dunk, the "Earthquaker Shaker", and my personal favorite, "The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robizine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam-Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam". This last dunk name was initiated upon his breaking two backboards within 23 days, the first in Kansas City, the second at the Spectrum. His glass shattering ability actually resulted in a backboard-design change featuring a collapsible rim so that long delays after a broken backboard were a thing of the past.
To honor Mr. Dawkins, I scoured around the internet for some highlights for your enjoyment. Grab some popcorn, settle in, and enjoy the Thunder...
- Video from YouTube: Two and half minutes of dunks, blocked shots, and racy rap music
- Quick, humorous anecdote about a sponsorship decision
- Hilarious and honest interview from SI
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