Throughout his career, Dominique Wilkins made his mark as a scoring machine. Starting his career with the Atlanta Hawks, Nique immediately showed opposing teams why he is a go-to offensive option.
Each time ‘The Human Highlight Reel’ took the floor, players and basketball fans were waiting for something special. Wilkins was best known for his breathtaking dunks.
One memorable moment happened on December 13, 1986, when the Hawks faced the New York Knicks. It turned out to be an offensive display between siblings as Dominique faced off against his brother Gerald, who was playing for the Knickerbockers.
Head-to-head, Gerald Wilkins outscored Dominique in that game, 30-24. However, the 3rd overall pick of the 1982 Draft had the last laugh as Atlanta won that game, 122-110.
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Nique steals the show
One of the most memorable highlights of that game happened in the third quarter. Nique stole the ball off an inbound pass by Patrick Ewing intended for Gerald. The Hawks star raced towards the basket, only to get fouled by his younger brother.
It was a great follow-up performance for the older Wilkins, considering he had just poured in 57 points against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The Hawks also won that one handily, 123-95.
Ironically, Dougie had spoken to Nique after that game, who shared that he was feeling it at the time that not even iced water could cool him off.
“He told me that he was so hot that night that even if they doused him with ice cold water, they couldn't have cooled him off,” the former Chattanooga Mocs standout shared via the New York Times .
But there was something on the line when Wilkins battled Jordan. At stake was the scoring title that season. Nique had won it last season and was rooting for MJ to win it this time around.
“I don't begrudge Michael anything," Wilkins said. “I hope he scores 50 points a game.”
Ring over scoring prestige
It turns out that Wilkins didn’t have the scoring title in mind that season. Considering he won it during the 1985-86 season, his focus was on something else.
“If I didn't win the scoring title already, maybe it would be a more important thing for me," Wilkins quipped. “I'd prefer to put a ring on my finger, a championship ring.”
Unfortunately, Dominique was unable to win an NBA title during his tenure. Jordan, on the other hand, ended up winning six titles.
Nique spent 14 seasons with the Hawks, and the best he could do was lead Atlanta to two Eastern Conference semifinals. He averaged 26.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in 882 regular season games.
Looking at his basketball resume, Wilkins has a long list of achievements. Unfortunately, the one accolade missing from it all is an NBA ring.
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