'Chocolate Thunder' has been silenced.

Former NBA and Sioux Falls Skyforce center Darryl Dawkins has died at the age of 58. Dawkins passed away in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Thursday. The cause of death is unknown.

At age 18, Dawkins was selected fifth overall in 1975 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played for the Sixers for seven seasons, averaging 11 points and seven rebounds a game. In Philly, Dawkins' teams with Julius Erving ('Dr. J') to advance to the NBA Finals three times (1977, 1980, 1982). In all three series, the Sixers were defeated in six games.

Dawkins then went to New Jersey for the next five seasons, the last three he saw very limited action due to injuries.

Over the next three seasons, Dawkins bounced from Utah to Detroit and appeared in a grand total of 20 games.

Following his NBA career, Dawkins had a brief stint with the Harlem Globetrotters, followed by a season spent with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association. In Sioux Falls during the 1995–1996 season, Dawkins appeared in 22 games, averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. He shot 60 percent from the floor. That season, Dawkins represented the Skyforce in the CBA All-Star game, playing 20 minutes, scoring two points and pulling down eight rebounds.

After his stint in Sioux Falls, Dawkins went on to become the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Newark Express. He was also the player/coach of the short-lived Winnipeg Cyclone. He was the head coach of the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League until they folded.

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