ATLANTA — Dominique Wilkins is still a beloved sports figure in the Atlanta sports community.
Nique’s No. 21 jersey is hanging from the rafters at Philips Arena, it’s hard to miss his 13½–foot bronze statue planted outside, and he remains the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
The 58-year-old still gets love from fans as a Hawks color analyst, but his Hall of Fame career may have turned out much different had he stayed with the team that selected him third in the 1982 draft out of Georgia: the Utah Jazz.
At the time, he now admits to being reluctant to suit up in a Jazz uniform and was ultimately traded to the Hawks before the season for $1 million in cash, Freeman Williams and John Drew.