You do not get the nickname “Dr. Dunk” without having some serious hops. Darnell Hillman played basketball at San Jose State, which you would expect from a guy who stood 6’9″, but he was so athletic that he also cleared 6’11 1/2″ in the high jump. He began his pro basketball career in the ABA with Indiana, where he won back-to-back titles in 1972/1973. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Darnell about winning a pair of ABA titles as well as the 1st-ever NBA Slam Dunk contest in 1977. Today is the 50th anniversary of Darnell winning his 1st ABA title on May 20, 1972, so we take this time to honor his life/legacy.
You set a school record at San Jose State with a 6’11 1/2” high jump as a freshman on the track team in 1968, where 2 of your teammates were Juan Carlos/Tommie Smith: who was the best sprinter, and what did you think about their “Black Power” salute at the Olympics? The “fastest sprinter” title varied from week to week. I knew they wanted to express some type of message and I did not think it was that harmful, but it certainly ended their potential careers.
In your only year on the varsity you had 15.3 PPG/14.2 RPG and were named 1st-team All-WCAC: why did you spend the next 2 years in the Army instead of returning to the court? I did not decide to join the Army: I was drafted out of school because my deferment did not protect me.
You played for team USA at the 1970 FIBA World Championship in Yugoslavia: how on earth did you not win the gold medal with teammates like UCLA back-to-back NCAA champion Kenny Washington and a 17-year old kid named Bill Walton? We did not win because Americans were not viewed in a high state internationally so there were some questionable calls.
You won a pair of AAU titles with the Armed Forces All-Stars where 1 of your teammates was future Penn coach Fran Dunphy and 1 of your assistant coaches was a guy named Mike Krzyzewski: did you realize even back then that Krzyzewski would become the winningest coach in NCAA history? I do not think that anyone realized it. He originally came in as a player but told us some great stories about his coach at Army (Bobby Knight).
In the summer of 1971 you were picked 8th overall (3 spots ahead of Curtis Rowe) in the NBA draft by Golden State, but you opted to go to the ABA and play for Indiana: how did you feel when your hometown Warriors refused to even return your calls about a contract offer? The ABA had their draft 1st and I met with the Pacers. After coming back to California I heard that the NBA was having their own draft so the Pacers agreed to let me wait and see how that went. The Warriors told me they would contact me but they never did: case closed. It was the best decision that I ever made!
Take me through the magical 1972 playoffs as a rookie:
You had a 2-PT win over Denver in Game 7 of the Western Division Semifinals: and a 4-PT win on the road over Utah in Game 7 of the Western Division Finals: what is the key to winning a Game 7? You just have to execute and be prepared. 1 of our rules was that the team comes 1st, the teammates come 2nd, and you are last. We all had to be willing to make sacrifices when necessary and we cared about 1 another.
In the Finals you had a 3-PT win on the road over New York in the decisive Game 6: what did it mean to you to win the title, and what was the reaction like when you got back home? It was a big celebration: it was phenomenal to come out of the service and then win a title. After landing at the airport there were 5000+ people there to greet us on the runway and another 5000+ people back at the arena.
In the 1973 Finals (the “I-65 Series”) you had an 88-81 win on the road over Kentucky in Game 7 (setting an ABA record for fewest combined PTS in a playoff game): was it just a cold shooting night for both teams or were both defenses just playing at the top of their game? I think it was both teams playing great defense. After you play a team enough times you know exactly what to expect. We just turned it up a bit and had some great players, including our secret weapon (future Hall of Famer Gus Johnson).
Take me through the 1975 playoffs:
In Game 7 of the Western Division Finals you scored 7 PTS in an 8-PT win on the road over Denver (who went 65-19 in the regular season): how were you able to pull off what is considered 1 of the most memorable upsets in ABA playoff history? You would have to watch the film to fully understand just how strong/deep we were as a unit. We were hard to match up with: physical players, finesse players, guys who could shoot the lights out, etc. When you incorporate that and care for each other it makes you tough to stop.
In Game 2 of the Finals Billy Keller’s 3-PT shot went in but the refs said it came after the buzzer and waved it off to seal a 2-PT win for Kentucky: did you think the shot beat the buzzer? I could not tell you: it was a judgment call. You just try to avoid getting in those situations because it can go either way.
In Game 5 of the Finals playoff MVP Artis Gilmore had 28 PTS/31 REB in a 5-PT win by Kentucky to win the title: where does Gilmore rank among the best players that you have ever seen? I would put him in the top-10. When he 1st came into the league he was tall but did not become strong until later in his career. By the end of his career he was tough to compete against. Our league was full of flair and exciting play. Now they talk about a guy who gets dunked on being “posterized”: it happened to everyone back then due to big men like Darrell Dawkins/Zelmo Beaty.
Following the 1976 ABA-NBA merger you won the 1st-ever NBA Slam Dunk contest in 1977: what is the best dunk you ever performed, and is it true that you could touch the top of the backboard? I had an array of dunks but my most popular 1 was the “Rock the Cradle”. I worked at dunking and took a great deal of pride in it: not to show off, just to bring my high-jumping skills to the basketball court. Warm-up dunks would show me how much lift I had and it helped me block shots on defense.
You later became Associate Director of Camps, Clinics & Alumni Relations for the Pacers: how do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? I am enjoying the job. In the future I just want to be a part of this franchise when we win our 3rd title and give back to this community.