Chocolate Thunder. The first player to ever make the jump directly from high school to the NBA. The man who shook backboards and swatted shots into the stands before Shaq. A true force in the paint has now left us.
According to multiple reports, NBA veteran Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins has passed away at the age of 58. At this time, the cause of his death is not known.
Dawkins, who played in the NBA for 14 years, was known for his thunderous slam dunks, powerful presence and the uncanny ability to name his dunks. He scored in double figures for nine straight seasons and finished his NBA career with 8,733 points, 4,432 rebounds and 1,023 blocked shots.
Chocolate Thunder played with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons during his NBA career and was one of the primary reasons why the league installed breakaway rims, as he destroyed two backboards during the 1979 season.
