Dominique Wilkins was one of the biggest competitors during the 80s and 90s in the NBA. He’s one of those men overshadowed by Michael Jordan’s greatness, but people still give flowers to the Atlanta Hawks legend.
However, it doesn’t seem like he appreciates the way fans see him and recently sent a message to those who don’t talk about him as a scorer. Wilkins became All-Star several times and won the Slam Dunk contest twice, which seems like the only thing he did during his career.
It seems Dominique is tired of the disrespect and explained that he’s a scorer, which is how fans should remember him. Talking with The Athletic his inclusion on the NBA top 75 list, Wilkins had this to say:
“I love the art of dunking because I used it as a tool for intimidation, but the problem is people think that’s all I did,” Wilkins said. “I’ve had games where I had 40 or more points and only had like one or two dunks in the entire game. People don’t realize that I was a complete scorer. I could shoot the 3. I could play inside and outside. I was a nightmare for guys in the midrange.
“If you go back, watch how many shots I shot inside the 3-point range in rhythm. I remember a game against Chicago where I had 57 points. … (the) points came from creative ways of scoring — getting to the free-throw line, midrange, finger rolls. I worked on those things every year.
“I took Earl ‘The Pearl’s’ (Monroe) spin move, and it became my spin move. I’ve always been able to run the lane and had great footwork. I had different things that I used where one guy wasn’t going to be able to guard me, not by himself. That was my mentality. If you were going to play me single coverage, that guy was going to be in trouble. That’s how Michael (Jordan) was, (Larry) Bird was, Bernard King. You aren’t guarding those guys one-on-one. When people talk about me, it’s he’s a nine-time All-Star, two-time Slam Dunk Contest winner. It’s like, I just did that for fun in one weekend. That’s all it was. I was a scorer. That’s what I was.”
Wilkins was a living highlight reel. Sure, his dunks were incredible to watch, as he starred in incredible moments during the Slam Dunk contests and games, but he knows he was more than that and wants people to acknowledge that.
Several players didn’t make the cut for the controversial list, yet ‘Nique did it. It’s time to put some respect on his name. In 17 years of career, Wilkins averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 1074 games.
