“Mike was a killer, he wanted to take your heart” - Dominique Wilkins praises Michael Jordan's playing style, recalls his own encounters and relationship with His Airness
Dominique Wilkins has hailed Micheal Jordan, widely regarded as one of the best players ever to grace the NBA, for his killer instincts while on the basketball court.
Wilkins is himself an NBA Hall of Famer, and one of the best players never to win an NBA Final. However, that was largely because he played in an NBA Eastern Conference that was ruled by Micheal Jordan.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, who is making a list of the top 75 NBA players for the 75th anniversary of the NBA, Wilkins opened up about his career. Wilkins, who came in at 51, also talked about Jordan and the battles they had, during the interaction. He told The Athletic in this regard:
“It was entertainment at the highest level. You’re playing against a killer who wants to win at any cost. Mike was a killer. He wanted to take your heart, but I had the same mentality. I wanted to take the heart of whoever was guarding me."
“The Human Highlight Film” was so much more than one of the greatest dunkers of all time.
“People don’t realize that I was a complete scorer.”
Introducing No. 51 on #TheAthleticNBA75: Dominique Wilkins
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Jordan was known for his killer instinct, and Wilkins experienced some of that first-hand. Wilkins was a dominant scorer, averaging over 25 points per game in nine of his 15 seasons, along with one scoring title.
Moreover, he was a fabulous leader, just like Jordan, and often looked to put a defender on a poster if he was challenged in the paint. Wilkins and Jordan competed against each other in the 1988 NBA Dunk Contest, one of the most exciting ones in NBA history.
Even though Jordan was the better player, that does not diminish the killer instinct Dominique Wilkins had. He never had the right teams around him in his ten NBA playoff runs. Maybe if those runs had ended differently, the NBA would have viewed Wilkins differently.
Dominique Wilkins' NBA career
Wilkins spent most of his career with the Atlanta Hawks, playing 12 seasons with them from 1982-94 before he was traded to the LA Clippers. After that, he signed with the Celtics for the 1994-95 season before he went overseas. He would bounce between overseas and the NBA for four seasons before retiring.
Dominique Wilkins averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during his career. He ended his career with one scoring title (1985-86), nine All-Stars and seven All-NBAs.
9x All Star
2x Slam Dunk champ
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In the playoffs, Dominique Wilkins particularly excelled. In five of his ten playoff runs, he averaged over 26 points per game, with two runs over 30 points.
However, the Hawks only played over ten playoff games once, which was in the 1987-88 season. It just never came together for Wilkins, and he just kept getting older, which made it more and more difficult for him to carry the Hawks.
All in all, Dominique Wilkins had a great NBA career but still missed playoff success despite his stellar numbers. If he had enjoyed success in the postseason, his career might have been seen in a different light.
Also read: All about Michael Jordan’s wife, Yvette Prieto?