[人類精華影片特輯] Wilkins 'the nicest supe …
Wilkins 'the nicest superstar'
Several close to Wilkins share their memories of the latest
inductee into Basketball Hall of Fame
Published on: 09/10/06
JOE O'TOOLE
Retired Hawks trainer
I recall learning that we've traded John Drew, one of our best
players, for a first-round draft pick from the University of
Georgia, a school known more for its football abilities than
basketball. Oh well, if we can trade Pistol Pete and Lou Hudson
I guess anything is possible. Sometimes I forget professional
sport is a business.
Dominique who? It would be the last time I would utter these
words.
We were having an informal pre-preseason workout at the Sporting
Club the first time I met Dominique. My first memory of 'Nique
is of him standing flat-footed under the basket and going up and
slamming the basketball. I was impressed. He continued to impress
me for the 11-plus seasons he played for the Hawks.
Over the years many things about Dominique come to mind, none
more impressive than his passion to play the game. During the 1988
playoffs in Boston [Game 5], 'Nique accidentally kicked the hotel
TV stand, splitting the little toenail all the way back to the
skin. I remember him coming to the arena with the toe wrapped in
a tissue. He came back to the locker room, from shooting around,
and said he just couldn't run without pain, we had to do something.
After having his nail bed injected, he played the entire game.
What I remember most is Dominique's blood-soaked sock after the
game. We won that game to lead the series 3-2 with the next game
at home in the Omni.
As many of you know, the series was extended to a Game 7, and
that was the game where the last five minutes were totally
controlled by Larry Bird and Dominique. It was run-and-gun,
back-and-forth action.
I remember thinking if we have the ball for the last possession
we could win. It was the most exciting exhibition of
tension-filled basketball I ever witnessed. Dominique was
exceptional that series, averaging 31 points per game.
In the middle of the 1991-92 season Dominique ruptured his
Achilles tendon. His injury put an end to our playoff hopes.
I can still hear him telling me on the "QT" that he shot around
a little even though he was still in his cast following surgery.
It was almost impossible for him to give his repair time to heal.
He kept assuring me that he would be all right, not to worry, he
would be back. And he came back with a vengeance, having the
second-best year of his career at the age of 34, averaging nearly
30 points and playing in 71 games. 'Nique was a scoring machine
that season. I remember Coach [Bob] Weiss commenting that if
Dominique were in a phone booth with two opposing players he
would think he was open for the shot.
While I still forget sometimes that professional sport is a
business, it was a sad day when Dominique was traded. It was a
shame his career could not end in a Hawks uniform.
On a personal note, during my time with the Hawks we endured two
family tragedies, and Dominique was so kind. We were both
comforted and impressed that he would make the effort to visit
us at our home. The following seasons he was always looking out
for me. Dominique is, to this day, a very special friend to our
family, and we are happy to share in this moment with him.
ARTHUR TRICHE
Hawks VP
of public relations
Prior to joining the Hawks, I watched a lot of Dominique's
high-flying abilities when I lived in New Orleans, whether it
was from his SEC days (and listening to Joe Dean literally come
out of his seat) or his early years in Atlanta when the games
were carried on the Superstation, and I always appreciated his
all-around skills.
I never imagined that I would have gotten the chance to see him
live on a nightly basis from one of the best seats in the house,
and I can honestly say I have had the fortune of watching one of
the most humble and underappreciated athletes in my lifetime.
No matter what the armchair quarterbacks had to say, Dominique
earned the respect of his teammates by working hard every game
and practicing hard every day. Some of the stars of today could
learn a lot from the players from that era — which in my
opinion, was some of the best collection of talent the NBA had
ever seen on a nightly basis.
It was truly a shame we traded him when we were en route to a
franchise-tying 57 wins and our last Central Division title. We
can only speculate on how we would have finished that season, but
I believed that team could have done some serious damage in the
postseason and cast aside many of the so-called shortcomings of
never getting past the second round.
In addition, it also might have made a difference if 'Nique and
the Hawks didn't play nightly in the Central Division against the
quality of teams like the Pistons, the Bulls, the Cavs and the
Bucks, but he led by example and put this franchise on his back
many nights.
He never complained, whether it involved losing the slam dunk
title to MJ in Chicago, or the unbelievable omission from the 50
Greatest Players list, or even last year's snub from Hall of Fame
voters, and it brings us to today — the proudest moment of his
basketball career. I'm happy to have watched him as an athlete,
and more importantly, to know him as a friend, and he is very
deserving of this honor.
'Nique, the wait is over. Congratulations.
HUGH DURHAM
Former University
of Georgia coach
Dominique just jumped out at you, to make a play on words. We saw
him in the summer at the BC camp down in Milledgeville. That was
a tremendous year for basketball players. They had Sam Bowie and
Sampson and Antoine Carr. I mean, it was loaded.
But like I said, Dominique was there, too, and he just jumped out
at us. Roger Banks, one of our assistants at the time, basically
said, "We've got to have this guy." Basically what we saw in him
was more than just a player. That was our first full recruiting
year at Georgia, and to get a great player like that was enough,
but to get one that was also an entertainer like Dominique was
even better. If we could persuade him to come to Georgia, he
would be the type of player we needed to get our program off to
a jump-start.
He had an immediate impact. We had a game against Kentucky at the
Omni in Atlanta. We didn't win, but it was sold out and they were
scalping tickets. We beat LSU when they were ranked fifth in the
country, and we beat Alabama on the road. We were 9-3 and had
knocked off Vanderbilt by more than 20, then Dominique got hurt.
He was on his way to being freshman of the year— in the country,
not just the SEC.
The next year, we got beat in the finals of the SEC tournament
and won 19 games. Dominique averaged 23 a game and led the league
in scoring. He gave a lot of consideration to turning pro at that
time, but he made the decision to stay. He had another really
good year in '82 and then made the move. He was taken No. 3 in
the draft.
It was good for Dominique and it was great for Atlanta and
basketball in the state of Georgia for him to end up with the
Atlanta Hawks. As I said before, we saw that entertainer power
in him back when he was in high school. It really took off once
he got into the NBA.
Whether you were a Hawks fan or not, people loved to watch
Dominique Wilkins play.
The thing I liked most about Dominique — there were so many
things I liked — I liked that he loved to play. He wanted to
get the most out of his ability. He practiced hard. I didn't
have to get on to Dominique about working hard. Any coach who
had the opportunity to work with Dominique will tell you that
he flat out brought it. And when it was game time, didn't matter
if he had a sore back or a sore leg or a sore shoulder, he played
and he played hard. From a coach's standpoint, that's what you
loved.
I was disappointed when Dominique was left off that NBA top 50 of
all-time list. He was definitely in the top 50. I was
disappointed when he didn't make the Dream Team in 1992. So I was
really happy to see they finally got it right with his induction
into the Hall of Fame.
I'm happy for Dominique because he earned it. It has validated
his impact on the game of basketball.
It's nice to be appreciated in your hometown. It's even nicer to
be appreciated on the national stage. I think Dominique has now
achieved all of that.
STAN KASTEN
Former Hawks president
I first saw Dominique Wilkins play while he was at the University
of Georgia. Three things were immediately apparent. Number one,
he could jump out of the gym. Number two, he could not shoot.
Number three, he did not care that he could not shoot, he was
going to shoot anyway.
Some things never change, and thank goodness that it didn't. As
his career developed, the endless shots, the endless practice
turned him into a formidable shooter as well as, of course, one
of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA.
His rookie season showed us things we had never seen before. In
the first exhibition we played in Jacksonville, 'Nique drove the
baseline for an impressive double-clutch dunk. The referee blew
off the basket and called 'Nique for traveling, believing no one
could travel that much distance without coming down.
But a replay clearly showed his feet never touched down as he
swooped to the basket.
In our first regular-season game at the Omni, we missed a shot
which bounced high. Those of us watching the rebound tended to
focus on the ball above the rim. But from out of our peripheral
vision, and out of the frame of the TV picture, came a flying
hand, putting back a ferocious rebound dunk. I'd never seen that
before.
We saw it many times from then on.
But as much as we marveled at his athletic ability, what brought
him to greatness was his passion for playing basketball. Oh sure,
every night, every game. But also every practice, every offseason.
He played with energy and joy and worked on all aspects of his
game. Dribbling, shooting, shot blocking. And this effort was
the same in his last game as it was in his first. Some things
never change.
Some other things, of course, do change. A year or so ago, I
asked 'Nique whether he could still dunk. He looked at me seeming
almost hurt at the question. Of course he could still dunk. He
told me how he had just demonstrated it a week earlier for one
of the people in the office. He had stood under the basket and
went straight up for a two handed dunk. I told him how impressed
I was that he could do it flat-footed and hadn't even needed to
run up to the basket. He burst out laughing. "Stan", he confessed,
"the run would have killed me."
In the ultra-competitive world of the NBA, no one has ever had
anything but affection for 'Nique. The players who were his peers
— Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Charles
Barkley — could debate any subject. But they all agreed how much
they loved 'Nique.
His respect for everyone through accolades and insults. His
sweetness of disposition, his kindness of spirit and his
generosity to all who knew him. The things that last long beyond
the court were the things that stood out above everything else.
He was the nicest superstar I had ever met. He still is.
Some things never change.
And now he takes his rightful place among his peers. In the Hall
of Fame.
STEVE HOLMAN
Hawks radio announcer
I have so many great memories of Dominique with the Hawks over
the years it is difficult to pick out the best of the best.
I do know that whenever I am asked about 'Nique, I always say the
same thing. He made every night special. There was always at
least one thing he did every night that would make you happy you
were at the game.
I remember most his pure joy of playing each and every game. A
lot of players talk about how much they love to play, but
Dominique meant it, and showed us all every game.
Sure we all remember him winning the slam dunk contests, but he
would routinely make dunks in games that are now only even dreamed
of in dunk contests. His flying in for offensive rebound dunks,
seemingly coming out of the roof to dunk in traffic, are the
plays I remember the most.
I had the privilege of calling most of his games in a Hawks
uniform, including the night at the Omni when he became the
Hawks' all-time leading scorer. Of course, the great Game 7
against [Larry] Bird and the Celtics we see over and over on
[ESPN] Classic. However, I remember Game 5 of that series as
well, the game the Hawks won at the Garden to go up 3-2 in the
series and stun the Boston crowd.
In all my years of broadcasting there were only two times that
I almost broke down on the air. The night when 'Nique tore the
Achilles. And his last night in a Hawks uniform.
When they took him off the floor with the injury, we all thought
maybe this was it for 'Nique and it really hit me hard, especially
because he had never been seriously injured, and even when it
seemed he would miss games he always managed to get out there and
play.
The night he was traded was a tough night for everyone involved
with the team. He had heard all the rumors of a trade and knew
this would be his last game for the Hawks. Lenny Wilkens also
knew it and got very sentimental at the end the game, when 'Nique
led the team to a furious fourth-quarter comeback win against
Seattle. Lenny, who many had felt pushed to trade Dominique
(Lenny always called him Dominick), gave him a big hug, and the
crowd sensing this was it gave No. 21 a thunderous ovation.
Before that game, while 'Nique was out warming up a couple of
hours before tipoff, I asked him to do something we had never
done before. Take a picture with me. I wanted something special
to remember the Greatest Atlanta Hawk of all time, and I cherish
that picture, along with his friendship to this day.
I have waited all these years to get him to sign the picture, so
he can sign it with HOF after his name.
I couldn't be prouder and happier for Dominique as he joins the
greatest of all time in Springfield.
資料來源
http://myurl.com.tw/3ucc
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