Dominique Wilkins Turns 66
- Jake C
- Jan 12
- 6 min read
Cover photo: Dominique Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks dunks against the Boston Celtics. Photo credit: Associated Press.
An NBA legend celebrates a birthday on Jan. 12 as 9-time all-star and Hall of Fame forward Dominique Wilkins turns 66.
Born in Paris, France, Wilkins starred at North Carolina’s Washington High School (Washington, N.C.). There, he led the program to a 79-1 record and consecutive state titles. During his high school years, Wilkins was featured in the old Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” section. His marquee game was an effort of 48 points, 27 rebounds, and 8 blocks.
At the University of Georgia, Wilkins was 3-time All-SEC, All-SEC tournament in 1981, and was named to the 1980-81 NCAA All-Tournament team. In 78 games as a Bulldog, Wilkins averaged 21.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. His 23.6 points per game as a sophomore (53.3% shooting) and 37.3 minutes per game led the SEC.
The 6 foot, 7 inch Wilkins was drafted third overall in the 1982 NBA Draft, behind No. 1 draft pick James Worthy and No. 2 pick Terry Cummings. The trio along with center Mark Eaton, forward Ricky Pierce, and guards Fat Lever and Sleepy Floyd would emerge as all-stars out of that draft.
Wilkins never played a game with the Jazz, dealt to the Hawks for forward John Drew, guard Freeman Williams, and $1 million.
The Hawks won 42 games in 1981-82 under head coach Kevin Loughery, and in Wilkins’ rookie season went 43-39. Wilkins averaged 32.9 minutes per game and 14.9 shots per game, both second on the team to forward Dan Roundfield. The rookie’s 17.5 points per game (49.3% shooting) were also second on the team to Roundfield.
Wilkins averaged 21.6 points in his second NBA season before a leap to 27.4 points (45.1% on 23.3 shots) in his third NBA season. In the 1984-85 campaign, he stamped himself as one of the NBA’s most electrifying young talents with a win over Michael Jordan in the 1985 Dunk Contest - the 88 contest, which Jordan won, could have gone to Wilkins. In 1990, Wilkins won the contest over the Sacramento Kings’ Kenny Smith. The 1985-86 season marked the first of nine consecutive all-star seasons (the latter of which would be as a Clipper) for the supreme scoring forward.
Dominique Wilkins All-Star Seasons with ATL
1985-86: 30.3 points (46.8% FG, 24.3 FGA), 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 39.1 minutes, 78 games. 1st in NBA in scoring and field-goals attempted per game. 1st team All-NBA, 2nd in MVP voting
1986-87: 29.0 points (46.3% FG, 22.6 FGA), 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 37.6 minutes, 79 games, 2nd team All-NBA, 5th in MVP voting
1987-88: 30.7 points (46.4% FG, 25.1 FGA), 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 37.8 minutes, 78 games, 2nd team All-NBA, 6th in MVP voting. 1st in NBA in field-goals attempted per game.
1988-89: 26.2 points (46.4% FG, 22.0 FGA), 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 37.5 minutes, 80 games, 3rd team All-NBA
1989-90: 26.7 points (48.4% FG, 20.9 FGA), 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 36.1 minutes, 80 games
1990-91: 25.9 points (47.0% FG, 20.2 FGA), 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 38.0 minutes, 81 games, 2nd team All-NBA, 8th in MVP voting
1991-92: 28.1 points (46.4% FG, 21.8 FGA), 7.0 rebounds, 38.1 minutes, 42 games
1992-93: 29.9 points (46.8% FG, 22.3 FGA), 6.8 rebounds, 37.3 minutes, 71 games, 2nd team All-NBA, 5th in MVP voting
Wilkins led the Hawks to eight playoff berths, in 1983-84, 1986-89, 1991, and 1993. In just his third playoff series, in Game 2 of the 1986 first round against the Detroit Pistons, he scored 50 points (19-of-28 from the field and 12-of-15 from downtown) with 5 rebounds in 43 minutes in a 137-125 Hawks’ win. In Game 4 of the series, Wilkins played 53 minutes in the Hawks’ 114-113 double-overtime win and scored 38 points on 17-of-37 shooting. Fifteen more times in his playoff career he scored 30 or more points. He scored 43 points twice, both in Game 2 of the 1987 first round against the Indiana Pacers and Game 2 of the 1988 first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Hawks matched up with the Boston Celtics, and Wilkins and Celtic superstar Larry Bird engaged in a historic duel. Bird put up 38 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in Game 1, and Wilkins countered with 25 points. Wilkins went for 22, 25, 40, 25, and 35 points in games two through six. Both adversaries turned in tremendous performances in a thrilling Game 7 in Boston - Bird registered 34 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, and Wilkins posted 47 points on 19-of-33 shooting and 8-of-9 from the line. The Celtics prevailed 118-116.
After that series against the Celtics, Wilkins scored 30 or more points four more times in his playoff career, including 37 points in Game 2 of the 1993 first round against the Bulls.
In January of 1992, in a game against the 76ers, Wilkins tore his Achilles and played only 42 games that season. His tear set the stage for one of the best injury comebacks in history, as he the next season made 2nd team All-NBA and finished fifth in MVP voting. Wilkins played 71 games in 1992-93, 37.3 minutes per game, and made 46.8% of his shots (22.3 attempts) and averaged 29.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Thirty-nine times during the regular season, he scored 30 or more points. This included eight games of 40+ points, with consecutive 40-point efforts on Dec. 5 and 8 (44 points, 42 points). On March 29, 1993 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Wilkins made 17-of-31 shots and 12-of-14 from the line for a season-high 48 points.
In February of 1994, Wilkins was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for forward Danny Manning. In 25 games with the Clippers over the remainder of the 1993-94 season, the 34-year-old played 37.9 minutes per game and averaged 29.1 points per game on 45.3% shooting (23.7 shots). He scored 36 points twice as a Clipper, and on April 16, 1994 put up a season-high 42 points (with 11 rebounds) on 16-of-30 from the field, 2-of-3 from deep, and 8-of-10 from the line in 40 minutes in a 108-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Wilkins played 77 games (64 starts) with the Celtics in 1994-95 and averaged 17.8 points (42.5% shooting) in 31.5 minutes per game. For the 1995-96 season, Wilkins played with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, before he returned to the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs in 1996-97 at age 37 and averaged 18.2 points (41.7% shooting) in 63 games, 30.9 minutes per game. Wilkins played for the Italian club Fortitudo Bologna in 1997-98, and played one final NBA season in 1998-99 with the Orlando Magic.
Wilkins started 995 games out of 1,074 played in his career, and averaged 24.8 points (46.1% on 20.1 shots) and 6.7 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per game. As a Hawk, he posted 26.4 points (46.7% shooting on 21.3 attempts) and 6.9 rebounds per game in 36.9 minutes per game.
In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2021, he is considered one of the snubs of the 50 Greatest Players, which were celebrated at 1997’s All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.
Speaking on the 1988 Dunk Contest in 2019, Jordan said of his contest rival, “Two North Carolina boys going at it…it gives us great pride in that type of showmanship. That’s always going to be a connected bond between me and him.”
In 2016, Wilkins’ former point guard and current NBA head coach Doc Rivers said, “Nique was the best. I loved him…The basketball part that made Nique extraordinary is, you would watch him in practice and it didn't look like he was doing much. He would kind of tell you he was going to work on his shot, but you never saw him do it. And then the next game, he's doing this shot that he told you he was going to start working on. And he's doing it in the game. The spin move off the glass. You remember that little jump where he spun? That's the craziest shot ever. And he'd make it.”
Highlight culture is ingrained in the current basketball landscape. Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, X. After the exploits of Julius Erving and amidst the media boom that was the Michael Jordan era, there was a mainstay in Atlanta, an electrifying forward who took highlights to heart. So astounding was he that he earned a nickname, the Human Highlight Film, that will forever live in NBA lore. Think of the windmill dunk, and you think of him.
Nique was his name. Nique is one of the best players to ever play.
Happy 66th, Dominique Wilkins.
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