Dominique Wilkins
Teams
Atlanta Hawks - 1982-94
Los Angeles Clippers - 1994
Boston Celtics - 1994-95
San Antonio Spurs - 1996-97
Orlando Magic - 1999
Playoffs
Appearances - 10 (1983,1984,1986,1987,1988,1989,1991,1993,1995,1999)
Conference Finals - 0
NBA Finals - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
All-NBA First Team - 1 (1986)
All-NBA Second Team - 4 (1987,1988,1991,1993)
All-NBA Third Team - 2 (1989,1991,1993,1994)
Hall of Fame - 2006
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Points Per Game - #14
Total Points - #16
Total Steals - #64
League Leads
Total Points (#2-1986,1988, #3-1987, #4-1985,1993, #5-1990,1991)
Points Per Game (#1-1986, #2-1987,1988,1993, #4-1994, #5-1990)
Dominique Wilkins was the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore at Georgia, then left school after his junior year to enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 3rd overall pick. Wilkins refused to play for Utah, so he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for 2 players and cash.
Wilkins averaged 17.5 points per game as a rookie while starting every game, then bumped it up to 21.6 during his second season. In 1985, he finished sixth in the league in scoring with 27.4 points per game, and won the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend, living up to his nickname, "The Human Highlight Film."
He became a true superstar the next season, when he led the league in scoring at 30.3 per game, along with 7.9 rebounds, his first All-Star appearance, and a spot on the All-NBA First Team. He also led the Hawks past the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, but they fell to the Celtics in 5 games in the second round.
Wilkins finished second to Michael Jordan in scoring in each of the next 2 seasons, even when he averaged a career-high 30.7 in 1988, but the Hawks lost in the second round of the playoffs both times. In 1988, the Hawks pushed the Celtics to 7 games, and Game 7 featured Wilkins and Larry Bird scoring back and forth throughout the 4th quarter, with the Celtics eventually winning by 2. It would be the closest Wilkins ever got to a championship.
His scoring dipped a little over the next 3 years, down to around 26 per game, and the Hawks either missed the playoffs or fell in the first round each year. In 1991-92, he was having a small resurgence when he tore his Achilles, ending his season with the first and only major injury of his career.
He made a strong comeback the next year, averaging 29.9 points per game, to come in second in scoring for the third time, once again coming in behind Michael Jordan. He also got Atlanta back to the playoffs, but they lost in the first round to the Bulls in his only career matchup against Jordan in the playoffs.
The next season, Wilkins had Atlanta in first place in the East as the trade deadline approached, and the Hawks made a surprising move by trading him away to the Clippers for Danny Manning. It is still the only time in history that a first-place team has traded their leading scorer at the deadline. He averaged 29.1 points per game during his time in LA, raising his season average up to 26.0, and earning himself a spot on the All-NBA Third Team, the 7th time in 9 years he would be voted to one of the teams.
Wilkins signed as a free agent with Boston after the season, but the team was not good and Wilkins struggled, scoring less than 20 per game for the first time since he was a rookie, and he decided to leave the NBA to play in Greece. After one very successful season in Europe, he returned to the NBA to play for the Spurs, and he led them in scoring while coming off the bench during the season David Robinson was out with an injury.
After one season in San Antonio, he left again to play in Italy, then made one final return to the NBA, to play alongside his brother Gerald in Orlando. He averaged only 5 points in 9 minutes per game, then retired from the game for good.
Wilkins was one of the best scorers the league has seen, putting up 10 straight seasons of at least 25 points per game and winning a scoring title. He was also a decent rebounder, averaging 6-7 per game for most of his career, but he was never able to break through in the playoffs. It didn't help that he never played with another star in his prime, the closest thing being a couple of seasons with late-career Moses Malone, but Wilkins is definitely one of the greatest players of all time, and the greatest player never to reach the Conference Finals.
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