Dominique Wilkins is immortalized in NBA lore as the Human Highlight Film. Even today, Wilkins is considered one of the greatest dunkers in the history of the NBA.
But Wilkins was much more than just a high flyer. Wilkins was an all-time great player, but he seems to get lost in the shuffle of history. He played during the same era as other legends like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. This causes Wilkins to get underrated by fans and pundits alike.
Wilkins spoke with Alex Kennedy on the HoopsHype Podcast and he discussed whether he feels underrated. Wilkins said:
“I definitely feel underrated. There’s no question about it. I don’t think a lot of people realize what I did. And I didn’t play with another superstar. I basically carried my team for 12 years, and those 12 years were in the East at a time when the East was brutal in terms of talent and teams that were off the charts…But I tell people, ‘It’s very, very difficult to score over 26,000 points just off dunks.’ I was a creative scorer – inside, outside, post-up, off the dribble and even shot the three, only if it was necessary.”
The Hall of Famer made nine straight All-Star games and was undoubtedly one of the best players of his era. He won the scoring title in 1986 and finished his career with a scoring average of 24.8 per game.
Although Wilkins feels that many underrate him, he knows that his fellow peers respect him.
“It’s frustrating at times, but the thing that really satisfies me is that my peers know what I’ve done.”
While many severely underrate Wilkins, he'll always be an all-time great.
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