Dominique Wilkins, legend and commentator of the Atlanta Hawks, spoke with SPOX and DAZN about the NBA finals and the best dunkers in the league. The Hall of Famer commented on the current situation at the Atlanta Hawks and on the critical tones of Dennis Schröder.
SPOX/DAZN: Mr. Wilkins, you’re one of the best dunkers in history and you’ve been called The Human Highlight Film for a reason. When you look at the finals: What was the best dunk in the finals for you so far?
Dominique Wilkins: In these finals, one player scores the most points and that’s LeBron James. I like dunks with a lot of traffic under the basket when the opponent tries to block you. Such dunks motivate the fans, they motivate the team.
SPOX/DAZN: So no dunk has really taken you away yet?
Wilkins: No, not yet. Dunks in transition without an opponent are not so special, dunks with a lot of resistance against it are.
SPOX/DAZN: The Warriors will play against the Cavs in the finals for the fourth time in a row. Is it perhaps the biggest rivalry in sports history?
Wilkins: No, not really, but it’s definitely a big rivalry. We had the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers or Philadelphia 76ers in the past. These were bitter enmities, but I also think that Warriors against Cavs is quite high up.
SPOX/DAZN: You spoke to LeBron. Does he play for you in a completely different league in these finals?
Wilkins: Yes absolutely. He also plays at his own level in the complete NBA. He is now 33 years old and plays on such a level, which is quite impressive.
SPOX/DAZN: You played against a player who was at or above a similar level to LeBron during your time. We’re talking about Michael Jordan, whom you met several times in the playoffs with the Atlanta Hawks…
Wilkins: I’m going to tell you a funny story. We played Chicago in the playoffs and Michael got hurt. They took him off the field on a stretcher and I thought this was our chance. But after the break he was suddenly back and scored over 30 points in the second half. The Bulls won the show and I was a little mad at him. He could’ve taken a few more minutes. (laughs) It was incredible how quickly he recovered. Once again, they took him off the field on a stretcher. Unbelievable.
SPOX/DAZN: Do you want to compare MJ and LeBron?
Wilkins: No, I don’t do that because they are two completely different players who played in completely different times. Our era then was fantastic, but now is the time of LeBron and the others. We should now enjoy what LeBron is doing in this era.
SPOX/DAZN: Let’s get away from the finals to the Atlanta Hawks. They are commentators there and are currently experiencing the difficult time of the rebuild.
Wilkins: Everyone has a rebuild once, that’s no different with us either. We have some good young players and we want to bring more of them into the squad to reach the next level. This takes time, of course, but I have confidence that the group of owners and management will give us a good position.
SPOX/DAZN: With the Hawks you own the third pick in the draft. Which player did you like the most?
Wilikins: This year there are many candidates who can be a Top 3 Pick. It depends on what exactly which team wants. We’ll find out on draft day.
SPOX/DAZN: The only player left from the 60 Hawks winning team a few years ago is Dennis Schröder. How did he accept his new role as a leader for you?
Wilkins: I think he did quite well. It was a difficult year for him as the franchise started all over again. He played 20 points and seven assists per game. That was very solid.
SPOX/DAZN: You may have noticed that he last spoke critically about the rebuild in Germany…
Wilkins: That’s his youth. Sometimes you say things you don’t mean or it’s just bad timing.
SPOX/DAZN: Do you think the Atlanta Hawks will stay?
Wilkins: That’s up to management. Our General Manager Travis Schlenk will know in which direction the organisation will go. Players need to find their roles in which they can succeed. But this is quite normal in a year of development, as we have just had. There’s plenty of movement in there, of course.
SPOX/DAZN: Schröder repeatedly emphasizes that his goal is to one day be an all-star. Do you think he has the potential to?
Wilkins: If you’re an All-Star, you don’t need to talk about it and you just work hard on yourself.
SPOX/DAZN: But he talks about it…
Wilkins: That’s right, but many players do. He has to keep working hard for people to tell him how good he is.
SPOX/DAZN: We already touched on it a little earlier. There’s plenty of good dunkers in this league. Who impresses you the most?
Wilkins: Oh, there are some like Donovan Mitchell, Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon, Blake Griffin or of course LeBron. We also have an exciting player in John Collins. But I have to say this: I love basketball in general and I am happy that we have a lot of good young players in the league right now.