Darryl Dawkins, Ex-Sixer and NBA Legend, Dead at 58

Darryl Dawkins, a famed basketball player who spent much of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, has died at the age of 58. Dawkins was known as one of the most quotable and colorful players in the history of the game.

Allentown-area TV station WFMZ was the first to report Dawkins’ death.

Dawkins joined the Sixers in 1975, and while his career got off to a slow start, he was a key part of the contending Sixers teams of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, although he had already been traded by the time of the team’s championship in 1983. Dawkins spent his remaining NBA years in short stints with New Jersey, Utah and Detroit; he later played for the Harlem Globetrotters.

In later years, Dawkins was coach of both Allentown-based Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs and Lehigh Carbon Community College.

Dawkins, who was known as “Chocolate Thunder,” once claimed to have been born on “Planet Lovetron,” and authored an autobiography called Chocolate Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Times of Darryl Dawkins. He also one of the first players known for breaking backboards during games.

Dawkins was an active Twitter user right up until the end, tweeting encouragement in recent days to the Little League World Series players.