When the NBA rolled out its list of the top 50 players to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017, Dominique Wilkins was omitted. He was a nine-time NBA All-Star and two-time slam dunk contest champion while also being in the same conversations as other great players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. However, Wilkins never reached the pinnacle of NBA success which was a championship ring.
His Atlanta Hawks tenure was often competitive, but not enough to overcome the dominant teams of his era, like the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. Regardless, Wilkins was an NBA great in the eyes of other legends.
“It’s frustrating at times,” Wilkins told HoopsHype in 2018. “But the thing that really satisfies me is that my peers know what I’ve done. The guys like Larry Bird and Dr. J and Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler and Magic Johnson, they all know and they’ve all said some wonderful things. And I’ll tell you one of the guys who has [shown a lot of respect] too is Danny Ainge. Some of the things he’s said recently shed a lot of light on what I did. But when you don’t win a championship [it hurts your perception]. There are a lot of guys who didn’t win a championship, but does that diminish how great they were? No.”
Highlighting the ‘80s court
Wilkins was an aggressive force on the court, known for his thunderous dunks and gracefulness. He was a nightmare for defenses — too quick for most forwards, too strong for guards, and too smart for centers. For over a decade, No. 21 was one of the top scorers in the NBA, turning the Hawks into a formidable team in the '80s and early '90s. He had twelve straight seasons of averaging over 20.0 points per game and led the league in scoring in his fourth year.
“The Human Highlight Film” also put on a show in the slam dunk contests, winning twice in 1985 and 1990, giving Michael Jordan all he could handle in the 1988 event.
The closest Wilkins ever got to winning a ring was in 1988, when the Hawks led the Celtics 3-2 in the East Semifinals. Boston took Game 6 with a narrow 102-100 victory in Atlanta, setting the stage for a legendary Game 7 at the Boston Garden. That fourth quarter is still considered one of the best in the sport’s history.
Wilkins dropped 14 points in the final period, finishing the game with an incredible 47 points. Meanwhile, Bird put up 20 points in that quarter ending with 34. The Celtics edged out the Hawks 118-116, snuffing out Atlanta's championship hopes. Wilkins averaged 31 points per game in that series. In many ways, it was peak Nique — spectacular, yet just shy of advancing to the next stage.
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The underrated legacy
Injuries, including a devastating Achilles tendon rupture in 1992, threatened to derail the high-flyer’s career. But he demonstrated excellent resolve, averaging 29.9 points per game the following season. In his first game back from injury, he scored 30 points against the New York Knicks.
Wilkins retired in 1999, and despite having zero rings, this never curtailed his legacy in Atlanta, as he had his jersey retired by the franchise in 2015.
“Well, what it does is it immortalizes you and nobody can ever take that away from you,” added the Hall of Famer. “They can’t take away what you accomplished as a player. It really brings life full circle for you as a player. That’s the biggest thing.”
Over his 16-season career, he averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He ranks 13th in NBA history in total points and career points per game, with seven All-NBA Team selections to his name.
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