ATLANTA -- Dominique Wilkins brought Atlanta Hawks fans to
their feet Saturday night in an emotional ceremony to retire his
No. 21 jersey.
"You don't know how much this means to me to be back here and
get my jersey retired," Wilkins told a sellout crowd at Philips
Arena during halftime of the Hawks game against the Los Angeles
Clippers. "Last, I'd like to say to the fans, I really took for
granted how much you fans meant to me. When I left Atlanta, I
really understood how fans stick behind a superstar in this city."
Wilkins, who played 12 seasons in Atlanta, received several
standing ovations, the loudest cheers coming when he embraced his
brother Gerald, a longtime NBA forward, and acknowledged former
coach Mike Fratello.
"They meant more to me in my career than anyone I'll ever
know," Wilkins said. "Mike is probably the most underrated NBA
coach of all time."
Aside from Gerald Wilkins and retired coach Kevin Loughery, Spud
Webb was the only former Hawk in attendance. The Hawks defeated the Clippers 108-88.
Wilkins, known as "The Human Highlight Film," received video
tributes from former teammates Dan Roundfield, Doc Rivers, Randy
Wittman and Tree Rollins and Hawks owner Ted Turner.
Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas and
Danny Ainge joined commissioner David Stern in giving recorded
tributes.
Wilkins, who turned 41 Friday, helped Hawks president Stan
Kasten, who was booed lustily, raise the retired jersey to the
rafters. Wilkins joined Bob Pettit and Lou Hidson as the only
players whose jerseys have been retired by the Hawks.
"I give the Hawks organization a lot of credit for bringing me
back and making me a part of the Hawks organization and the Hawks
family," said Wilkins, who rejoined the team this season in a
largely ceremonial position. "I'll always be a Hawk."
He has gotten over the most traumatic day of his career -- Feb.
24, 1994, when the Hawks traded their greatest player to the lowly
Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Manning.
Manning finished that season in Atlanta, then moved on. Wilkins
bounced around to Boston, San Antonio and Orlando -- with stops in
Greece and Italy -- before his career ended in 1999.
Wilkins, a nine-time All-Star, averaged 24.8 points, 6.7
rebounds and 2.5 assists during his NBA career. He retired as the
league's eighth-leading scorer with 26,668 points.
No one has worn No. 21 for the Hawks since Wilkins was traded.
"That was by design, not by accident," Kasten said. "He is
known as the very symbol of our franchise and our time here in
Atlanta."
Wilkins left Georgia after his junior year and was drafted in
the first round by the New Orleans Jazz, who made one of the worst
trades in NBA history when they sent him to the Hawks for John Drew
and Freeman Williams.
Wilkins quickly became the leader of a team that included
Roundfield, Rollins and Eddie Johnson. The Hawks reached the
Eastern Conference semifinals three times, including a dramatic
series with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in 1988.
In Game 7, Wilkins and Larry Bird had one of the most thrilling
duels in playoff history. Bird hit nine of 10 shots in the fourth
quarter for 20 of his 34 points, while Wilkins scored 16 of his
game-high 47.
"That was the greatest game because of the situation we were
in," Wilkins said. "Seventh game, playoffs, Larry Bird-Dominique
in a very heated confrontation. It doesn't get any better than
that."
But the Celtics won, ending Atlanta's best chance for a
championship during Wilkins' career.
Rick Mahorn, who played for Detroit's "Bruise Brothers" in the
late 1980s, had several memorable duels with Wilkins.
When the Pistons played Atlanta, they knew Wilkins was the
player who had to be stopped.
"We kind of like corralled him into a position where if one
guy's going to hit him, we're all going to hit him," Mahorn said.
"We really played very physical against him and we made sure if he
made shots, he was going to make a jump shot."
While Wilkins was best known for his scoring exploits, he also
is Atlanta's career leader in steals.
"I loved Dominique as a player," said Golden State's Chris
Mullin, who went against Wilkins for more than a decade.
"Sometimes his spectacular play overshadowed what a great player
he was. The Human Highlight Film was one thing, but he was a great,
great player."
Wilkins played with five teams over the final five years of his
career. He was waived by Orlando in 1999 after averaging just five
points in 27 games, depriving him of an official retirement.
Now the Hawks rectified that oversight.
"It shows their appreciation for me," said Wilkins, who spent
a whirlwind week doing interviews, photo shoots and promotional
appearances. "You'll just see your jersey up in the rafters
forever. It's hard to put into words what that means."
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