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Darryl Dawkins, NBA player dubbed ‘Chocolate Thunder’ for his dunks, dies at 58

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August 27, 2015 at 7:25 p.m. EDT
Former pro basketball player Darryl Dawkins, at a 2013 awards ceremony in Spain, died Thursday in Allentown, Pa. He was 58. (Alvaro Barrientos/AP)

Darryl Dawkins, the first high school player to go straight to the National Basketball Association when he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1975, died Thursday at a hospital in Allentown, Pa. He was 58.

His death was confirmed by the coroner’s office in Lehigh County, Pa. His family said the cause was a heart attack, according to the Associated Press. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday.

Mr. Dawkins, who was nicknamed “Chocolate Thunder” and claimed to hail from the Planet Lovetron, played in the NBA for 14 seasons, his first seven with the 76ers. He was 18 when the team selected him with the fifth pick of the 1975 draft.

The 6-foot-11 Mr. Dawkins was known for his backboard-shattering slam dunks, for which he gave names such as “In-Your-Face Disgrace,” “Look Out Below,” “Rim-Wrecker,” “Spine Chiller Supreme” and “Cover Your Head.”

Mr. Dawkins first shattered a backboard on Nov. 13, 1979, in a road game against the Kansas City Kings. One month later, he shattered another — and pulled down the rim — at the Philadelphia Spectrum during a game against the San Antonio Spurs. Afterward, then-NBA Commissioner Larry O’Brien informed Mr. Dawkins that every time he broke a backboard, he would owe the league $5,000.

Mr. Dawkins played alongside players such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, World B. Free and Doug Collins in Philadelphia, and lost three times in the NBA Finals. He left the 76ers after the 1981-1982 season, going on to play for the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. Philadelphia won the NBA title in 1983.

Mr. Dawkins averaged 12 points and 6.1 rebounds a game over his NBA playing career, which ended after the 1988-1989 season. Along with stints afterward in Italy, Mr. Dawkins played for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Mr. Dawkins was born in Orlando on Jan. 11, 1957. His first wife, Kelly Barnes, committed suicide in 1987, while he was estranged from her. His second marriage, to former Nets cheerleader Robbin Thornton, ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife, Janice Hoderman. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.

Bloomberg News