Atlanta Hawks teammates Dominique Wilkins and Kevin Willis once got into an argument in the team bus on who was faster between them. Instead of making them wait to settle things, though, Doc Rivers revealed how head coach Mike Fratello had them go at it right away.
“Kevin Willis and Dominique got into an argument in San Francisco,” Rivers said on NBA Rewind. “Who could outrun each other in 100? Mike Fratello, our coach, pulled the bus over and blocked off a city street in the middle of the city. They got out, we marked off a 100 and it’s still a debate on who won. I think Dominique won, but it was one hell of a race.”
(starts at 19:41 mark):
I can imagine how bizarre that scene would have been for everyone who was present at the time. You see this Hawks team bus suddenly stop in the middle of the road, and everyone on it comes out, after which Wilkins and Willis start to race each other. Considering Wilkins has the nickname “Human Highlight Reel” it is actually impressive that Willis, who stands at 7’0″, was able to keep up with him.
Wilkins, Willis, Rivers, and Fratello were actually together for a fairly long time. The Hawks drafted Wilkins in 1982, then Rivers in 1983, and finally Willis in 1984. Fratello, meanwhile, became their head coach in 1983. With them leading the way, the Hawks won at least 50 games every season from 1985-86 to 1988-89.
Postseason success would ultimately elude them, however, with the legendary Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons squads standing in their way. Fratello would resign in 1990, and a few years later, the other three were gone as well. It was an exciting era, but they fell short in their quest to win it all.
Dominique Wilkins Would Become A Hall Of Famer, Kevin Willis Played 21 Seasons
While Wilkins never won a championship, he went down as a slam dunk Hall of Famer. He finished with excellent career averages of 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. Wilkins would win a scoring title in 1986 and is currently 15th on the NBA’s all-time scoring charts with 26,668 points.
He was also included in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, after surprisingly being snubbed from the 50th Anniversary Team.
As for Willis, he would actually win a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003. He ended up playing 21 seasons in the NBA and is actually the oldest player to play more than two games in a season, having suited up for the Dallas Mavericks five times during the 2006-07 campaign, when he was over 44 years old.
He finally retired after that, with career averages of 12.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
