When the NCAA tourney got canceled in March we entered a whole new world, which included a sports void the likes of which we have never seen before. The fine folks at ESPN came to the rescue in mid-April with “The Last Dance”, a 10-part miniseries about the 1998 Chicago Bulls and their quest to win a 6th NBA title in an 8-year span before Coach Phil Jackson and most of his star players all went their separate ways. While it has been comforting to spend the past several Sunday nights with behind-the-scenes stories from Steve Kerr/Scottie Pippen/Dennis Rodman, the star of the show as always is Michael Jordan. Even though the documentary concluded on May 17th, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has dug through his archives and discovered oodles of unpublished interviews about Jordan’s career, from his early days as the leading scorer for team USA at the 1983 Pan Am Games to a 55-PT playoff performance during Chicago’s final title run in 1998. We continue our trip down memory lane by chatting with Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins about tying his career-high with 57 PTS in a win over Chicago in 1986 and setting an NBA record by making all 23 of his FTs in a win over Chicago in 1992.
You won back-to-back MVP awards after leading Washington High School to a 55-1 record and a pair of North Carolina state titles in 1978 and 1979: what do you remember about the 1 loss, and what did it mean to you to win 2 titles? It was great to win back-to-back titles: that is something that very few people get to experience. The 1 loss came at the end of my sophomore year. I remember our coach telling us that if we could stick together as a team and buy into what he was trying to teach us that we would not lose another game for the next 2 years…and he was right!
In 1979 you scored 16 PTS for the East in a 1-PT OT win in the McDonald’s All American Game: which of the other players impressed you the most (Ralph Sampson/Isiah Thomas/James Worthy/other)? It is hard to say: there were a bunch of great players in that game.
You came close to leaving Georgia after your sophomore year but were advised to stay in school by Maurice Lucas: what kind of relationship did you have with Lucas? I had a very special relationship with Maurice: he was a very close friend of mine who prepared me for life in the NBA.
What are your memories of the 1982 NIT semifinals (you scored 15 PTS but Russell Cross scored 25 PTS including a layup with 4 seconds left to clinch a 1-PT win by Purdue at Madison Square Garden)? I was not supposed to play due to a severely twisted ankle. I still do not know how I was able to play that night.
You were named SEC POY as a junior and were a 2-time All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? Some of the greatest players in NBA history were in college at that time so those were great honors.
In 1982 you were drafted 3rd overall by Utah (behind Worthy/Terry Cummings), but after refusing to sign with the Jazz you were traded to Atlanta several months later for John Drew/Freeman Williams/cash (which is considered 1 of the most lopsided deals in NBA history): why did you decide to leave school early, and how did you feel about returning to the state of Georgia? It was time to leave: Coach Hugh Durham told me that I had done everything I could and that it was time for me to go pro. It was heaven to go from Georgia to Atlanta: I could not have asked for a better situation at the time.
In December of 1986 you tied your career-high with 57 PTS in 40 minutes in a win over Chicago (Michael Jordan scored 41 PTS): did playing against Jordan bring out the best in you? He always brought out the best in me and I think that I brought out the best in him as well.
You finished that season by winning the scoring title with 30.3 PPG (then finished 2nd to Jordan in 3 of the next 7 seasons): where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It ranks very high because it was tough to win the scoring title at the time. With all the rules back then like hand-checking and the physical play you knew that if you could score 30 PPG then you had earned it.
You were named to 9 straight All-Star teams from 1986-1994, including an incredible 154-149 OT win by the West in 1987: how on earth did your East team lose that year with a starting lineup of you/Moses Malone/Larry Bird/Julius Erving/Jordan?! The West had a pretty good starting lineup itself: Magic Johnson/Alvin Robertson/Worthy/Tom Chambers/Hakeem Olajuwon! It was a serious shootout and an up-and-down game.
In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals you scored 47 PTS (a record for the most PTS in a Game 7) in a 2-PT loss to Boston (Bird scored 20 PTS/9-10 FG in the 4th quarter): where does that rank among the best games that you were ever a part of? It is probably 1 of the greatest games in NBA history as you had 2 guys who just did not want to lose.
In December of 1992 you set an NBA record by making all 23 of your FTs in a win over Chicago (the entire Bulls team made 12-19 FT): what is your secret to FT shooting? Just concentration and practicing the same routine over and over again. Dirk Nowitzki now holds the playoff FT record (24-24 in a win over Oklahoma City in May of 2011) but I believe that I still hold the regular season record.
In 1994 you helped “Dream Team 2” win a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what was the reaction like in the locker room afterward? It was the most exhilarating thing in the world to represent my country. To be a part of that was great.
In 1996 you left the NBA to play in the Greek League and were named Final 4 MVP after having 16 PTS/10 REB in a win over Barcelona to win the Euroleague title: what was the biggest difference between the NBA vs. pro basketball in Europe? The NBA is more physical than Europe and has the best players in the world. Europe is more of a hybrid jump-shooting league with an up-and-down game.
In 1999 you played your final NBA season alongside your brother Gerald with Orlando, and your nephew Damien spent almost a decade in the NBA: what was it like to play alongside your brother, and how good was your nephew? It was great playing with my brother: I wanted to play at least 1 year with him before I retired. Nobody even thought that my nephew would make it but he had a few good years.
Since 2004 you have served as the Hawks’ VP of Basketball and you are also a color analyst for Hawks games: how do you like the 2 jobs? It is just wonderful to stay connected to the team.