photo: nba.com
You had to know that this one was coming!
Jacques Dominique Wilkins exemplified the playground in its purest essence. His above the rim pyrotechnics made folks fall out of their seats as they wondered if their eyes had the capacity to lie.
He is, to this day, one of the sports’ greatest scorers, dunkers and players, one of the most entertaining and aesthetically pleasing aerial artists that the game has ever produced. And yet, he remains an underrated commodity. Because he shared an era with MJ, Magic, Bird, The Dream and Barkley and never won that coveted ring, people tend to downplay his phenomenal legacy and overlook what a beast he was.
There is no player alive today, with the exception of King James, that can elevate to such extremes and flush it with the immense stealth force in the face of challenging D. If you’re too young to remember, or simply need a gentle reminder, peep the illmatics below:
Nique grew up in the projects in East Baltimore and it was the playground that offered him refuge and a path toward stardom. Prior to his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame, he shared these thoughts with Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Sekou Smith as he drove through the land of The Wire -
“When I was growing up around here (East Baltimore), this was the area with the highest crime rate in America. But I had a free pass. There was an order on the street that I wasn’t to be messed with. If you did, you were going to have a problem. That was the code. Because I played basketball and the guys that ran the streets believed I had the talent to make it out of there. I could go to any court on any block and it was no problems. And I’ll never forget those guys for what they did for me. They taught me how to play the game. They taught me to respect the game.”
photo:bcallstarsbasketball.net
He shared the city’s asphalt with B-More legends like the incomparable Skip Wise and Ernie Graham. I dipped into the rolodex to hear in their own words, their memories of the young fella -
Skip Wise: “He went to Patterson High School his freshman year and lived around East Baltimore where I was from. He was just a young boy when he played with us. But he went to Carolina, took everything he learned from us in Baltimore and really started improving.”
Ernie Graham: “He was a little younger than me and we played with and against each other around the playgrounds and different tournaments like Project Survival and the BNBL (Baltimore Neighborhood Basketbal league). He was developing when he ran with us. The game we play out here is strong and when we go someplace else to play, we let them know what Baltimore is all about. That’s what he did when he left town.”
He moved to North Carolina for his sophomore year of high school, where the B-more ingredients marinated to produce a rare talent that had hundreds of colleges drooling at the prospect of ‘Nique in their school uniform.
The Human Highlight film came into the public’s consciousness after jumping out of the gym and taking the Southeastern Conference by storm at the University of Georgia. He turned a moribund program into winners, a precursor to taking the Atlanta Hawks - who were doo-doo in a shoe before he got there - and making them contenders in the ’80s.
photo: nba.com
The excitement that he created and shared with a mesmerized worldwide audience was birthed, nourished and cultivated in the parks. The playground is not the problem. It is the solution.
Big Ups to my man Kool Bob Love, who inspired this post with his discussion on the old school Brooks footwear.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
dominique may have been the greatest off two step power dunker the game has ever seen. jordan, dr. j, and connie hawkins were all more fluid jumping off of 1 foot. ‘nique would get that hop step, and dang i felt sorry for whoever was in front of him!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Teddy "Doowop" says:
One of the most exciting players to watch..ever. I still think he should have been on the Dream Team. Wish I could go back in time and bump Laetner and put this man in. Plus those Brooks are lookin too sweet with that jersey!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:54 am
ali says:
The slams against larry bird, robert parrish and the follow on the missed jumper against the celtics were downright bananas. But the illest had to be the one against three Milwaukee defenders. ‘Nique definitely earned his nickname, The Human Highlight Film. And “Doowop”, you’re right. It’s a downright travesty that ‘Nique wasn’t on the original Dream Team squad, along with Isiah.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 am
illest says:
we know why zeke wasnt on there. and nique should have been on there definitely. but of course he didnt get that league respect because of the no rings and the league being mike, magics and birds. i like how in one of those nba entertainment videos (i think it was greatest showmen) when during the isiah segment of it nique said he wished he had a point guard like that because he would of won championships. a straight diss to glenn rivers!!
wait a minute!!! he just crossed dinner bell mel and double pumped jammed on mark eaton so nasty on that clip. wow. i have question. what the hell was bird thinking trying to block that dunk? i always liked watching hawks games because of the background music. and the ill drums when the opposing team had the ball and the crowd was shouting defense. and how about yankees win the yankees win broadcaster johnny sterling doing the hawks games back then with clyde frazier. im buggin out on these clips. i miss the 80s.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Eric R. says:
All I can see is that poster I had where poor Mickey Johnson is getting his ears cleaned out….
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
ali says:
Illest,
the omni was on fire back then. Doc Rivers, Spud, Kevin Willis, John Battle, etc. they were winning 50 games a year, but would laways bump their heads against the celtics, pistons, etc. that was before mike fratello became the czar of the telestrator.
yo! you brought out mel “dinner bell’ turpin! haven’t heard that one in a minute. they had a nice little frontcourt at Kentucky w. dinner bell, kenny walker and sam bowie.
the 80’s were special because they were basketball players, first and foremost. today, athleticism trumps all, even at the expense of somebody with skills.
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
g says:
dinner bell?! wow,im feeling old! havent heard that in a few ticks! Mike got the best dunk on dinner bell @ salt lake city to boot. but sticking to the script… funny story. I was dealing with a young lady back in the early 90’s who moved here from B-More and was residing in the Parkchester section of the Bx. She asks me one day did i want to go with her to a Knicks game,she had floor level seats. Im like sure,but how’d you get the tickets. She said her cousin plays for the Hawks and he always leaves us tickets when he’s in town. I start probing my mental rolodex for the current roster trying to see who was from B-More or NYC,cause at the time,i didnt know Nique was from B-More. I finally give in and ask her who her cousin is. She replies, my cousin Jackie. Jackie? I bark on her,thinking shes joking, “man aint no dudes on the Hawks roster named Jackie!” she goes and pulls out her family photo album and shes got pics with Nique,Gerald, their parents and some other family members. She goes “this is my cousin Jackie (pointing to Nique) and his lil brother Gee-Gee (referring to Gerald)”.
oooops,my bad Meka if youre reading this! my number is…..lol!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
illest says:
g…thats an ill story. i remember seeing that Jacques name years ago. yeah that mike dunk on dinner bell was definitely ill.
yeah ali they were basketball players. i definitely enjoyed the game better then. wow jon battle. that kentucky team was nice. if i remember they had the ill dunks with the wildcats logo on the tongue.
eric r…i like the mickey johnson reference.
May 24th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
ali says:
another funny story -
a few years back, i sat next to mike fratello on a flight (i forget where we were going) and when i first looked at him, i thought he was sammy “the bull” gravano, the mobster.
he was short, but cock diesel. when i realized he was the czar, i told him how much i enjoyed those hawks team. when i told him lo charles was from around my way and that i used to shoot around with him on the courts when he was at brooklyn tech, fratello’s eyes lit up and he just started talking about those days in atlanta, non-stop.
nique, randy wittman, cliff levingson, kevin willis, konkack, doc rivers, spud, tree rollins, eddie johnson, battle, antoine carr - fratello had a genuine love for those players. it was one of the greatest b-ball conversations i’ve ever had w/someone.
May 25th, 2008 at 4:34 am
illest says:
ali….yeah fratello is ill. id rather have him coach the knicks then zeke anyday.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Jeremy Ripley says:
Uhhh….What I would’ve done to seen this man play live!
He seemed to have that extraordinary ability to alter himself midair, so as to avoid his defender, all while making his bongo look fresher.
A, that’s a sweet story on Fratello too. It’s great when hoops junkies can get together and share their passion–we are all of the same breed.