5. Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins went straight to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers from Evans High School in Orlando, Fla., in 1975 but once claimed that he was from a special place called “Planet Lovetron.”
His 1970s flair and larger-than-life stature (6-foot-11, 250 pounds) and lifestyle was tailor-made for social media, had it been in existence. He was given the name “Chocolate Thunder” for his rim-rattling, glass-shattering, earth-shaking dunks by none other than Stevie Wonder.
"“A guy who never saw me,” a beaming Dawkins said in a 2011 interview with ESPN, “gave me the name ‘Chocolate Thunder.”"
That’s just a hint of the impact Dawkins left wherever he played. And he was as loquacious with words as he was with the basketball.
The first time Dawkins wrecked a backboard in the pros, he called it the “Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam” dunk.
Dawkins spent parts of 14 seasons in the NBA with Philadelphia, New Jersey, Utah and Detroit. Think about this – Dawkins would name his dunks.
Imagine each move followed by a trending hashtag: #TheYoMama, #RimWrecker, #LookOutBelow, #RimWrecker, #Go-Rilla, #InYourFaceDisgrace, #SpineChillerSupreme or the # GreyhoundSpecial when he went full-court.
Dawkins died in 2015 at the age of 58.
"“Darryl Dawkins is the father of power dunking,” Shaquille O’Neal once said. “I’m just one of his sons.”"
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