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This past Sunday, Dominique Wilkins was enjoying a late afternoon meal at 7Pie Pizzeria & Bar in Dahlonega, Georgia, about 65 miles from Atlanta. He noticed a man walking toward him. Wilkins didn’t recognize the man, but it isn’t uncommon for him to be approached by strangers. He’s used to fans asking for an autograph or a selfie, even though his playing days have long been over as a 15-year NBA Hall of Famer with two dunk contest titles and a scoring crown. The man had indeed been a fan — but for much longer than Wilkins initially realized. The two actually crossed paths decades ago. “I had been waiting 40-something years to tell Dominique this story,” said Steve Alexander, the man who walked up to Wilkins.
Now, four decades later, Alexander finally had the chance to reconnect with his hero and ask if there was any chance he might remember the exchange. “Hey Dominique,” Alexander said to Wilkins and his wife, Jedidia. “Are y’all in the middle of business or do you have time for a story?” “I love stories,” Wilkins said, smiling. “What you got?” “Hold on a second. I’ve got props.” Alexander walked out and went to his car. Wilkins was puzzled. “Props?” Wilkins said, wondering: What could he possibly be bringing? In came Alexander, clutching the worn pair of sneakers. Wilkins recognized them immediately, breaking into a giant smile. Those shoes. Those courts. Those battles. It all comes flooding back. He is so moved that he doesn’t have the words. “That was a long time ago,” Wilkins said later, reflecting on the encounter. He couldn’t believe that this kind of interaction could happen at all–let alone in a remote area like Dahlonega. “He brought so many memories back to me.”
Alexander began to tell Wilkins the tale: It was March 31, 1984. “I stole Dominique’s home phone number from my girlfriend’s father’s Rolodex,” Alexander said. Her father was a photographer who took photos of NBA players. He wrote down the number on a small sticky note and dialed — because, back then, you could just … call NBA stars. “Hello?” Wilkins said. “Hi. This is Steve. I’m the kid in Indiana who always tries to get your shoes when you’re here.” Each time the Hawks came to Indianapolis to play the Pacers, Steve would scream for Wilkins with his arms out, hoping to catch a glimpse and a pair. “I’m on the other line with my mom,” Wilkins said. “Let me call you back in about 15 minutes.” He actually called back. Steve knew this was his one shot. “Do you think you can give me your shoes after the next game? I’m going to be in Atlanta for the next game.” “All right,” Wilkins said. “Meet me in the third-floor parking garage at the Omni Hotel three hours before the game.”
“It shows you how much more important it is than just playing a game of basketball, and how you can touch someone’s life. That lasts a lifetime,” Wilkins said, reflecting on Sunday’s moment. “It just totally blew me away that this guy happened to live up in the mountains, and he had a pair of shoes that had been held onto for 40 years.”
Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan reveled in a memorable moment when he achieved another extraordinary feat in the city where his NBA career began. DeRozan passed Dominique Wilkins for 17th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list while helping the Kings conclude a five-game road trip with a 123-115 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. “We’re over there and Woody (assistant coach Mike Woodson) looks at me and goes, ‘Man, he just passed Dominque Wilkins,’” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “I said, ‘Well, if you pass Dominique Wilkins on the freeway or in line at the grocery store you’re doing something.’ “He just continues to move up the ladder. Super proud of and for him. It couldn’t happen to a better person and a better pro. He’s a pro’s pro and to watch him have this type of success is exciting for all of us.”
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NBA: DeMar passes Dominique 👏 With this three, DeMar DeRozan passes Dominique Wilkins for 17th on the all-time scoring list!
DEMAR PASSES DOMINIQUE 👏
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2026
With this three, DeMar DeRozan passes Dominique Wilkins for 17th on the all-time SCORING list! pic.twitter.com/OIUoataLLE
Kevin Chouinard: DeMar DeRozan just passed Dominique Wilkins on the all-time scoring list. He could do the Hawks a favor by keeping SAC on top of the Raptors. They lead by 9 in the 3Q.
As hip-hop expanded from the East and West Coasts into the South, the club became a place where a spin from one of its influential DJs could propel a new song to the top of the charts. The club introduced new music for hip-hop stars like Future, Migos and Jeezy and helped popularize Atlanta favorites like Jermaine Dupri, Killer Mike and 2 Chainz. Dominique Wilkins, a Hall of Famer who played for the Hawks from 1982 to 1994, was a famous patron in its early days, as was the football star Deion Sanders.
For a general interest audience, what have been the advances in modern medicine and technology that have helped players return from an Achilles injury much better than in previous eras? Cerynik: “I don’t have data to back this up. But the historic narrative is starting to be rewritten a bit on how players previously performed worse after injury versus before injury. That historic convention is starting to be challenged in more modern times as the procedure itself evolves, and the recovery protocols evolve as well. There’s a study that we wrote years ago [in 2013]. Some others have had some follow-up studies. It showed that historically, from the time behind Kobe Bryant tearing his Achilles [in 2013] and before, almost everyone except Dominique Wilkins performed significantly worse after coming back from their injury. Many never returned to play. Many didn’t return for more than one season. Their minutes per game were less. All of the performance metrics were down.
Dominique Wilkins, who matched up against Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen during their heyday, compared Jalen Johnson to the six-time NBA champion. “Well, I must say he’s a little bit of Scottie Pippen as far as being a point forward,” Wilkins told Casino.org in an exclusive interview. “Pippen was a point forward, and was very effective at the position. This guy Jalen, he brings even another element, because the way he rebounds, the way he passes, and he flirts with a triple-double every single night. I love Jalen Johnson. The way he plays, man, and he’s so deserving of this honor that he received during All-Star weekend. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
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“I look at Jalen like someone like your brother in a sense,” Wilkins said. “I have a great relationship with him. I have a great relationship with his mom and dad. I saw the growth in him two years ago, and I said to his parents, ‘Don’t worry, he’s gonna do very well in this league, and he’s gonna be a great player in this league. Just be patient.’ And now look where he’s at.”
Trae Young was limited to 10 games this season due to a sprained MCL injury and has yet to make his debut for the Wizards. Wilkins commented on the trade, saying that sometimes “things don’t work out.” “Sometimes in life, things don’t work out, and it’s time,” Wilkins said. “We all have been through it. I’ve been through it, and it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the way the business is running, how it’s done. Trae was a tremendous player in an Atlanta Hawks jersey. No one could ever take that from him. What he did was very special.”
Young was the franchise pillar for the better part of 8 seasons here in Atlanta, and he leaves behind a résumé as good as any player since Dominique Wilkins himself. Wilkins can also empathize closely with being traded away from a franchise so key to one’s own identity. Wilkins spoke on the trade, saying that, “sometimes in life, things don’t work out, and it’s time. We all have been through it. I’ve been through it, and it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the way the business is running, how it’s done. Trae was a tremendous player in an Atlanta Hawks jersey. No one could ever take that from him. What he did was very special.”
“Jalen Johnson has developed quicker than a lot of people have given credit for or expected,” Wilkins said. “But they always say, take care of your business at hand. Don’t worry about too much down the road right now. Worry about what you’re doing now. You take this one game at a time, one month at a time, one year at a time.” “He’s still a young guy, so it’s a few different areas where he can get better, and he will get better,” Wilkins detailed. “He will get better defensively. He will get better as far as different ways he can score. As a young guy, you can always get better. You can always add new things to your game to make you an even more lethal player. Being 24 years old, he’s still learning right now.”