Nba Quenches Just Like Water For ‘Chocolate’

Darryl Dawkins wants to come back.

To what, you ask?

The NBA, of course.

“Chocolate Thunder ain’t dead yet,” he said.

It’s been nearly eight years since Dawkins, nicknamed ‘Chocolate Thunder,’ last played in the NBA. Most, though, can’t forget Dawkins, who became instantly famous for bringing backboards and glass down to Earth while dunking the basketball. Dawkins might not be able to do those things anymore. Still, the lure of an NBA paycheck and another shot at the life he enjoyed has Dawkins officially stung by the comeback bug.

And it’s not just some crazy idea in his head. With the lack of big men in Commissioner David Stern’s watered-down NBA these days, there is a market for a 6-foot-11 frame like Dawkins’. “I’m just thrilled that people are still interested,” he said.

Dawkins, now 40, was invited to work out for new 76ers’ coach Larry Brown last Wednesday in Philadelphia. Brown was Dawkins’ coach when both were with the New Jersey Nets in the early ‘80s. Dawkins, though, backed out Tuesday. He just didn’t feel he was in good enough shape - yet.

“My main thing is that I have to go in there in the best shape as I can be in,” Dawkins said recently. “Right now, I’m not in tip-top shape.

“The young guys are going to be in there. I have to go there looking good. If I have to postpone this camp and go into the (Sacramento) camp in another month, maybe I’ll do that.”

Now, Dawkins will work out religiously with a trainer - he needs to lose at least 20 pounds - and look to the 76ers’ July 14 veteran-rookie camp.

Basically, it’ll be a chance to see if Dawkins a) is in shape and b) can still play. “Right now, I’m still getting in shape,” said Dawkins, who wouldn’t reveal his weight, but didn’t look too heavy at a function in Manhattan a couple of months ago.

If things don’t work out with the Sixers or Sacramento, Dawkins will have some options. New Jersey and Atlanta also have expressed interest. “I still think I can play, because if you look at the backup centers, they don’t play more than 15 minutes - outside of someone getting killed,” Dawkins said. “I can do that job.”

Dawkins has been inspired by Chicago backup Robert Parish, who just finished his 21st season in the NBA at 43 years old. “It’s amazing that he’s still playing, but he’s still effective when they use him,” said Dawkins, who was the 76ers first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 1975 draft. “The Chief is still going.”

Dawkins, who lives in Marlboro, N.J., still plays basketball three or four times a week. So playing really isn’t the problem. Getting into playing shape is the real obstacle.

“This is what makes it so much of a challenge for me,” said Dawkins, who was traded to the Nets in August 1982 for a 1983 first-round draft pick and cash. “I’ve been out a long time.

“I went over to Italy. I played with the (Harlem) Globetrotters. And I still enjoy playing competitively.”

Dawkins, who last played in the NBA in 1989, made news for shattering two backboards in a 22-day span. He did it first at Kansas City on Nov. 13, 1979, and duplicated the feat at the Spectrum on Dec. 5 against San Antonio.

“I enjoyed breaking the backboards,” Dawkins said. “I guess I was ahead of my time because when I broke it then, they wanted to fine me $5,000.

“If I break a backboard today, I’d get a ton of endorsements.”

Dawkins - one of the first three players to go from high school to the pros (Moses Malone and Bill Willoughby are the others) - also wants people to know that his career wasn’t just two glass-breaking nights. “So even though I was known for breaking the backboards, I still had a good 15-foot shot,” he said. “I pride myself on playing for the championship three times.

“There were players greater than me that never got a chance.”

Although Dawkins has a lot of great memories - most with the 76ers - his career seems like ancient history. “It seems like a long time ago, it is, it was,” said Dawkins, who scored a career-high 36 points against Cleveland in 1983.

With help from Classic Sports Network, Dawkins is still known by younger basketball fans who never actually saw him play. “People know me today. I’m still pretty popular with the kids,” he said.

Currently, Dawkins is coaching an AAU girls team in Neptune, N.J., and the freshmen girls at Freehold Borough High School. He also does speaking engagements and has an endorsement deal with Reebok. “So I keep pretty busy,” he said.

Ultimately, Dawkins, who was born in Orlando, Fla., would like to become an assistant coach or scout for some NBA team. His secret dream, though, would have Dawkins coaching in the WNBA, the new women’s league that starts play on June 21. Dawkins said he gets great satisfaction teaching women. And with good reason. “My mother taught me to play basketball. I couldn’t beat my mother playing one-on-one until I was 14,” he said.

“Momma Dawkins could ball. And she was dirty, too.”

Dawkins was never that type of player. He was big and strong. But mostly, he was fun-loving and relished playing. Today, you can still hear in his voice his love and enthusiasm for basketball. “I enjoyed the game. And I kept it fun for myself,” he said.

“A lot of times, jobs are boring. Half the people in America go to work and they don’t enjoy their jobs. It’s just that it pays the bills. If I can do something I enjoy doing and get paid, whether it’s coaching or playing or whatever, I’ll continue to do that.”

To play next season, work, and plenty of it, is the key. “I’m going to work my buns off with this trainer,” Dawkins said. “By the end of the summer, I’m going to be in great shape and then be in somebody’s camp.

“I’ve going to give it a hell of a shot.”