Dominique Wilkins

Jacques Dominique Wilkins (January 12, 1960-) earned the moniker “The Human Highlight Film” despite playing during an NBA era where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and “Dr. J” – Julius Erving dazzled fans with spectacular plays and dunks. Wilkins was among the best and most inventive drivers to the hoop possessing unmatched ability to rock the backboard with thunderous dunks. Wilkins enjoyed much success early on in high school then starred at the University of Georgia where he was named the 1981 SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. The Utah Jazz drafted Dominique with the third overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft but then traded him to the Atlanta Hawks months later, prior to the 1982-83 season. In 1982-83, Dominique scored 1,434 points and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. He was a key figure in the Hawks success during the 1980s, averaging at least 20 points per game in each season and winning the 1986 scoring title earning his only selection to the All-NBA First Team. Dominique was a nine-time NBA All-Star and won two NBA Slam Dunk Contests (1985, 1990) during the All-Star weekends. He had seven straight seasons (1984-1991) with 2,000 or more points and led the NBA in field goal attempts twice (1984-1986). He was a member of the United States National gold medal winning team at the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Canada. He played the majority of his NBA career with the Hawks (1982-1994) then had shorts stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (1994) and the Boston Celtics (1994-1995). Despite Wilkins best efforts, he won his only championship while playing in Greece after his NBA career stalled. He played four years in European leagues before finishing his career in 1999, spending one season with the Orlando Magic. Dominique finished his career with 26,668 points, 7,167 total rebounds and 2,677 assists. Dominique Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.