I thought about giving you guys a tepid take on the events in Roanoke, but something that affected me much more personally happened yesterday. I was at a desk on Twitter when I saw the report that Darryl Dawkins had died. My shift never really recovered from that point.

Dawkins retired from the NBA in 1989, so I never got to see him play live. Most of my knowledge of the man came from interviews and old basketball VHS tapes. But there was something about the man that really resonated with me.

Darryl Dawkins was just fun. He went by “Chocolate Thunder,” a nickname given to him by a man who allegedly can’t see.

Dawkins would name his dunks and claim to be from planet Lovetron. More than being a funky icon, though Darryl Dawkins literally changed the game of basketball.

The lane was widened for Wilt, the dunk outlawed for Kareem, the ball changed for Nash, and the baskets were changed for Chocolate Thunder. The first player to be drafted out of high school, Dawkins quickly earned a reputation as a rim wrecker.

And that was the thing about Darryl Dawkins. He wasn’t a just a talented big man who averaged 12 points a game. He was an alien from a funky planet who dunked a ball harder than anyone else.

And that’s why so many people love and will remember Darryl.

Good luck on your trip back to Lovetron. I’m sure your people need you.

Song with an intro by Chocolate Thunder

Dawkins fighting in the 1977 Finals

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Just find some clips on YouTube.