Larsen Idealog

Slam dunk that sentence

With the NBA playoffs in full swing, it seems fitting to honor one of my favorite athlete-wordsmiths: Darryl Dawkins, aka, "Sir Slam," "Double D," and "Chocolate Thunder." (All self-appointed nicknames.)

Dawkins could dazzle with a dunk and a description of it. Here are his word pictures for his powerful slams:

"The Rim Wrecker"
"The Go-Rilla"
"The Look-Out-Below"
"The In-Your-Face Disgrace"

This is my favorite:

“The No-Playin’, Get-Out-of-the-Wayin’, Backboard-Swayin’ Game-Delayin’ Dunk.”

I’m not keeping score, but that’s four rhyming adjectival compounds all bearing down on one simple noun: “dunk.”  

Dawkins is best known for his 1979 backboard-shattering dunk against Bill Robinzine of the Kansas City Kings. After the game, Robinzine complained loudly that he had been cut by a piece of the broken glass. Dawkins responded with this rhyming comeback:

"The Chocolate Thunder Flyin’, Robinzine Cryin’, Teeth Shakin’, Glass Breakin’, Rump Roastin’, Bun Toastin’, Wham, Bam, I Am Jam."

As Dawkins himself said, "When it’s all been said and done, there’s nothing left to say or do." 

Want to read more? Basketball's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Hoops' Outrageous Dunkers, Incredible Buzzer-Beaters, and Other Oddities.