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Darryl Dawkins (born January 11, 1957 in Orlando, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. He was nicknamed "Chocolate Thunder" for his powerful dunks, which notably led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to Dawkins shattering the backboard on two occasions in 1979. Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal... MORE

Darryl Dawkins (born January 11, 1957 in Orlando, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. He was nicknamed "Chocolate Thunder" for his powerful dunks, which notably led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to Dawkins shattering the backboard on two occasions in 1979. Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in the NBA Finals three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On the flip side, Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983-84), and he never quite lived up to the expectations that had been heaped upon him when he was drafted out of high school. "Many of us will judge him solely on what he could have been," said Dave Wohl, who played against and coached Dawkins, in Sports Illustrated. "Too many will be blinded by the flashes of brilliance that never materialized into consistent greatness. There were times when LESS