The NBA's 'Chocolate Thunder' — Darryl Dawkins the Backboard Smasher: Transitions at Age 58

He rapped (perhaps the first NBA player to do so), named his dunks ("Dunk You Very Much") and forced the NBA to invent breakaway rims and shatter resistant backboards because he had a habit of turning backboards into a thousand shards of glass.

Darryl Dawkins' intimidation factor loomed so large that he was given the nickname "Chocolate Thunder" by a man who
couldn't even see him: Stevie Wonder.

By ESPN
Darryl Dawkins was once summoned in the Philadelphia 76ers' locker room to meet a celebrity who wanted to meet the man known for dunking with backboard-breaking force.

The guest was Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder. The entertainer is blind, yet even he could tell there was something unique about Dawkins' game.

"A guy who never saw me," a beaming Dawkins said in a 2011 interview, "gave me the name 'Chocolate Thunder.'"

The name stuck, and the rim-wrecking, glass-shattering dunks remain unforgettable -- as will the giant of a man who changed the game with them.

Dawkins died Thursday at a hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to the Lehigh County coroner's office. He was 58, and even though officials said an autopsy would be performed Friday, his family released a statement saying the cause of death was a heart attack.

"Darryl touched the hearts and spirits of so many with his big smile and personality, ferocious dunks, but more than anything, his huge, loving heart," his family said.

Dawkins spent parts of 14 seasons in the NBA with Philadelphia, New Jersey, Utah and Detroit. He averaged 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 726 regular-season games. His 57.2 field goal percentage is seventh best in NBA history.

"The NBA family is heartbroken by the sudden and tragic passing of Darryl Dawkins," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "We will always remember Darryl for his incredible talent, his infectious enthusiasm and his boundless generosity. He played the game with passion, integrity and joy, never forgetting how great an influence he had on his legions of fans, young and old."

Dawkins was selected No. 5 in the 1975 NBA draft by the 76ers. He was the first high school player to be taken in the first round of the draft.


Dawkins was as revered off the court as he was on it. He remained enormously popular after his playing days were done, even during his stint as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.

He would name his dunks -- the "Look Out Below," the "Yo-Mama" and the "Rim Wrecker" among them -- and often boasted that he hailed from the "Planet Lovetron."

Dawkins' shows of force unquestionably changed the game. The NBA soon went to breakaway rims and mandated that backboards be shatter-resistant.

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White Supremacist Billionaire Plans To Sue NBA for $1 Billion: Billion Dollar Profit Selling Clippers Not Enough — More Substantiation of Alzheimer’s Diagnosis?

Screen capture from YouTube video.

A source close to Sterling says the embattled billionaire will file a lawsuit later Friday afternoon and seek damages in excess of $1 billion.
By Ginger Adams Otis
If you thought Donald Sterling was going to walk away from the NBA without a fight, guess again.

The bigoted owner of the Clippers is planning to sue the NBA for $1 billion, the Daily News has learned.

A source close to Sterling told The News that Sterling will file a lawsuit later Friday afternoon and will seek damages in excess of $1 billion.

The latest report comes after his wife, Shelly, had carved out a deal to sell the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for a whopping $2 billion.

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Donald Sterling Ripped Me Off for $1000, Says Clippers Fan: Won Free Throw Contest - The Rich White Supremacist Refused to Pay Up

Screen capture from YouTube video.

By James Hill
It's been nearly 33 years, but San Diego real estate attorney Mike Spilger still remembers his first encounter with Donald Sterling, the embattled owner of the Los Angeles Clippers...

He invited all the attorneys in town," Spilger said. "I remember they had some mini-sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres and a $1,000 free-throw contest."

Spilger had been the captain of the San Diego State basketball team in the late 1960s, and he promptly stepped up to the free-throw line to sink 9 out of 10 to win the contest. "In street clothes, I might add," Spilger said.

But when he talked to Sterling later to claim his prize, he was told it was no longer $1,000, but rather 5 days and 4 nights accommodations at a Puerto Rico hotel.

"And I asked Mr. Sterling," Spilger recalled, "'Does that include airfare?’ And he kind of mumbled around, 'Well, I, no, no.' I said, 'Well, Mr. Sterling, I have no desire to go to Puerto Rico, let alone pay my own way to get there. I will just take the $1,000, thank you.'"

Sterling, whose net worth at the time was estimated to be about $700 million, suggested Spilger get in touch with the promotions department to work things out. A few weeks later, Spilger said, he got a letter from the team congratulating him on winning three nights and two days in Las Vegas or Mazatlan, Mexico.

"It kept getting worse," Spilger recalled with a laugh. "First $1,000, then Puerto Rico, then Mazatlan and then Vegas. To me it made no sense."

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Donald Sterling Won't Pay Fine and Won't Give Up Team: Billionaire White Supremacist—With a 'Dark Fetish'—Mounts Legal Battle

Rather than go quietly, the demented racist prefers to drag the NBA league—which he says he 'loves so much'—into the gutter with a court fight.

LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling: One of America's creepiest bigots. (Screenshot
from YouTube video)

By Jeff Zillgitt
The letter from Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's attorney to the NBA claiming no wrongdoing on Sterling's behalf is a persuasive indication he plans to fight the league in court, sports law expert Warren K. Zola says.

"It was to put the NBA on notice that they're preparing to go to battle," said Zola, an adjunct professor of business law at Boston College's Carroll School of Management. "It's clear that the attorney and, I assume, Donald Sterling do not feel any punishment is warranted. Clearly, that's a precursor to litigation."

USA TODAY Sports reported Thursday that Sterling's lawyer, Maxwell M. Blecher, told the NBA his client will not pay the $2.5 million fine and that Sterling does not warrant "any punishment at all" and said the matter will need to be adjudicated.

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Downfall of White Supremacist Owner of LA Clipppers — Leads to Downfall of President of NAACP's Los Angeles Branch

President of LA chapter of NAACP, Leon Jenkins. (Screen capture
from YouTube video)

By Fred Barbash
The head of the NAACP in Los Angeles has resigned following criticism of the chapter’s warm relationship with Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling despite his history of racial remarks.

The resignation of chapter President Leon Jenkins was announced Thursday night by the CEO of the Baltimore-based NAACP, Lorraine C. Miller. The NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, founded in 1909, and was deeply embarrassed.

In his letter of resignation, Jenkins said that the “legacy, history and reputation of the NAACP is more important to me than the presidency. In order to separate the Los Angeles NAACP and the NAACP from the negative exposure I have caused the NAACP, I respectfully resign.”

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NBA Clippers Owner Donald Sterling 'Banned for Life' Over Racists Comments — Fined $2.5 Million

LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling was "banned for life" from the NBA.

By Reuters
The basketball world was united in their support for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver following his decision to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fine him $2.5 million for racist comments.

Past and present players and other team owners all voiced their approval after Silver effectively booted Sterling out of the game, saying he would also be forced to sell the team.

"Commissioner Silver thank you for protecting our beautiful and powerful league!! Great leader!!," Miami Heat forward LeBron James, the face of the NBA, wrote on his Twitter account.

Dwyane Wade, James' teammate on the NBA champion Heat, echoed his sentiments On social media: "Commissioner Silver....STRONG...way to take charge and protect our great league."

Magic Johnson tweeted that Silver had shown "great leadership" while Shaquille O'Neal gave a ringing endorsement. "Way to go, Commissioner Silver! The NBA stands for everybody!" he tweeted.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash told a news conference: "After initial outrage, disappointment, sadness, I think today is a very proud moment for the (NBA) Players Association, current and former players and the NBA."

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Sponsors Start To Dump NBA's LA Clippers Due To Racist Statements by Team's Owner

Clippers coach 'Doc' Rivers responds to questions regarding the affect of racist
statements by the team's owner on players' performance. (Screen capture from
video)

By Darren Rovell and Arash Markazi
The Chumash Casino, the presenting sponsor of the Los Angeles Clippers, jumped ship Monday along with used car dealership chain CarMax and airline Virgin America as advertisers pondered their partnerships with the team in the wake of racist remarks allegedly made by owner Donald Sterling.

"We've always been proud supporters of the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the recent statements attributed to the Clippers' owner have forced us to reconsider our relationship," Vincent Armenta, tribal chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, said in a statement. "We remain supportive of the members of the team and we wish them the very best going forward.

"... We cannot ignore any statement that causes harm or hurts any group. As a result, we're withdrawing our sponsorship of the Clippers organization."

The casino, which has been the Clippers' most visible sponsor for the past four seasons, followed the lead of other companies that decided to part ways with the team earlier Monday.

"CarMax finds the statements attributed to the Clippers' owner completely unacceptable," the company said in a statement through public relations manager Catherine Gryp on Monday. "These views directly conflict with CarMax's culture of respect for all individuals. While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for nine years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship."

Virgin America said in a statement that it was cutting ties with the team "while we continue to support the fans and the players."

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Jewish White Supremacy Placed in Spotlight By NBA Clippers Owner: ‘There Are White Jews and Black Jews' — 'You go to Israel. The Blacks are just Treated Like Dogs'

LA Clippers Owners Explains The 'Difference' Between
'White Jews and Black Jews'

White Supremacist Owner of NBA Clippers Team Had Willing Enablers — Why Have the Other Owners Put Up With It?

NBA Clippers owner Donald Sterling. (Screen capture from YouTube video)

By Dave Zirin
Michael Jordan as an NBA player, owner and cultural force, has always been proudly apolitical. Most famously, he refused to oppose segregationist Jesse Helms in his home state of North Carolina by saying, “Republicans buy sneakers too.” Yet Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's racist rant has so upended the NBA apple cart that even Jordan is speaking out.

He said:

“As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views. I’m confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly. As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA—or anywhere else—for the kind of racism. I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot & must not tolerate discrimination at any level”

After a period of initial silence, Jordan is now just the latest NBA owner doing the previously unthinkable: speaking out against a fellow member of their exclusive club.

These belated words are welcome, but it is impossible to take any owner seriously that they are “shocked” or “outraged” by Sterling’s surreptitiously recorded statement, because “news” that Donald Sterling is racist qualifies as news only if you’ve been living on a hermetically sealed space station for the last decade. Even Clippers coach Doc Rivers’s comment that when he took the job last year—he didn’t know that Sterling was a bigot but “probably should have”—strains credulity. Sterling, with a great deal of attendant publicity, has been a racist in both word and deed for some time. His statements about African-Americans, Latinos and Asians—not to mention his misogyny—are exceeded only by his much-protested practices as a discriminatory slumlord. (If anyone wants to know this history, you can read this article.)

After Sterling’s latest racist eruption, the NBA is now dealing with a full-on public relations nightmare, and right when Sterling’s team, the Los Angeles Clippers, are real contenders to win an NBA championship. Two stunning developments have been immediately clear in the aftermath. The first is the sheer number of NBA players that have loudly and proudly condemned Sterling’s racism. (It has to be noted that one of first to do so, was the league’s biggest star, LeBron James.) There have also been reports that the LA Clippers even openly discussed boycotting their game on Sunday in protest. Instead they wore plain red warm-up shirts in protest.

The second is just how many people have not only expressed “shock” at Sterling’s words but also have said variations of “I have never heard anything like this from owners in the NBA.” I cannot speak to whether or not this is true. It is certainly possible that Donald Sterling is the only owner who seems to be in a constant state of arousal, fear and rage at what he calls the “beautiful black bodies” of the NBA. But every owner, as well as former commissioner David Stern—whose paternalism was called out by Dwyane Wade during the 2011 NBA lockout—needs to carry the burden of having counted this person as a colleague for so long. And lest we forget, Donald Sterling’s great benefactor, friend and partner was the late Dr. Jerry Buss, the owner of the Lakers, a person who was universally mourned without criticism after he passed away.

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