Career information
High school Washington
(Washington, North Carolina)
College Georgia (1979–1982)
NBA draft 1982 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career 1982–1999
Position Small forward
Number 21, 12
Career history
1982–1994 Atlanta Hawks
1994 Los Angeles Clippers
1994–1995 Boston Celtics
1995–1996 Panathinaikos
1996–1997 San Antonio Spurs
1997–1998 Fortitudo Bologna
1999 Orlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
9× NBA All Star (1986–1994)
All-NBA First Team (1986)
4× All-NBA Second Team (1987, 1988, 1991, 1993)
2× All-NBA Third Team (1989, 1994)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1983)
NBA scoring champion (1986)
2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1985, 1990)
No. 21 retired by Atlanta Hawks
EuroLeague champion (1996)
EuroLeague Final Four MVP (1996)
Greek All Star Game MVP (1996)
Greek Cup winner (1996)
Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer (1996)
Greek Cup Finals MVP (1996)
Second-team All-American – NABC, UPI (1982)
Third-team All-American – AP (1982)
SEC Player of the Year (1981)
Career NBA statistics
Points 26,668 (24.8 ppg)
Rebounds 7,167 (6.7 rpg)
Assists 2,677 (2.5 apg)
Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American retired professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and is widely viewed as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "the Human Highlight Film".[1] In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In addition to his 11 seasons with the Hawks, Wilkins had short stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, Panathinaikos Athens (a professional team in Greece's top-tier level Greek Basket League, with whom he won his first titles, the FIBA European League and the Greek Cup), Fortitudo Bologna (a professional team in Italy's top-tier level LBA), the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic before he retired in 1999.
Wilkins was born in Paris while his father was stationed there as an airman in the U.S. Air Force. Wilkins' family then moved to Dallas and Baltimore before settling in Washington, North Carolina, where he attended Washington High School. He was the back-to-back MVP for the team's consecutive Class 3-A State Championships (1978–1979). Wilkins was in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of Sports Illustrated while in high school for a performance in a game vs. a higher classification school in which he scored 48 points, had 27 rebounds, 9 dunks, and 8 blocks. Wilkins then starred in the McDonald's All-American Game, The Capital Classic, The Kentucky Derby Festival Classic, and The Dapper Dan Classic All-Star Games. He had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the McDonald's, 26 points in the Capital, and 22 points in the Derby Classic. He entered the University of Georgia in 1979 with an established reputation as an exciting player. Wilkins averaged 21.6 points a game over his career and was named SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1981.
Wilkins was selected third overall (behind James Worthy and Terry Cummings) by the Utah Jazz in the 1982 NBA draft. However, Wilkins was not willing to play in Utah. At the same time, the Jazz were reeling from cash flow problems. As a result, the Jazz traded Wilkins to the Atlanta Hawks several months after the draft for John Drew, Freeman Williams and $1 million in cash.[4] Despite Wilkins's reluctance to play in Utah, the trade is now considered among the most lopsided deals in NBA history, as Drew and Williams would play a combined four seasons for the Jazz.
Wilkins averaged more than 25 points per game for ten consecutive seasons, and captured a scoring title in 1985–86 with an average of 30.3 points per game.
Wilkins was instrumental in the Hawks' prominence in the 1980s, when the club recorded four consecutive 50-win seasons during the decade. As Wilkins entered his thirties and the Hawks needed more of an all-around contribution from their star, Wilkins averaged 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists during the 1990–91 season.
A nine-time NBA All-Star and the winner of two NBA slam dunk contests, Wilkins registered 26,668 points and 7,169 rebounds in his NBA career. As of 2019, he ranks 13th on the NBA scoring list.[5]
Wilkins' nickname was "The Human Highlight Film" for his athletic ability and highlight reel dunks. His trademark dunk was a powerful one- or two-handed windmill dunks he used to capture the slam dunk contest titles in 1985 and 1990. As a basketball player, he was known as an acrobatic scorer, somewhat of a gunner, though an outstanding finisher and one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history.
His #21 jersey was retired by the Hawks on January 13, 2001. He is one of five players whose jerseys have been retired by the Hawks.