Atlanta fans clamoring for the chance to see Dominique Wilkins back on the court got their wish on Wednesday…sort of.
Wilkins returned to the court not as a player but as a celebrity coach for one of the teams entered into the Dominique Wilkins’ Drive For A Cure charity basketball tournament, a six-team event held at Philips Arena to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Coaching the team contributed by Cingular Wireless, ‘Nique roamed the sidelines exhorting his team to exhibit some of the same skills that made him such a fan favorite during his time as a player for the Hawks.
"It’s a lot of fun being out here,” said Wilkins (right, with Hawks owner Michael Gearon). “To get to play games like this and contribute to a good cause at the same time, it’s really a great day. I got here this morning and thought I would miss being out there and playing, but my right knee said ‘Don’t even think about it.’”
Atlanta Spirit LLC was amply represented at the event, contributing a team for the tournament, while Philips Arena was involved as well contributing court time and the facilities for the event.
“The people in our office are thrilled to be a part of this,” said Gearon. “Having this kind of participation is tremendous for the Cystic Fibrosis foundation.”
Each team consisted of eight players playing a round-robin tournament during the afternoon’s action. The teams were all helmed by celebrity coaches, including NBA Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy, Wilkins, and WNBA star Teresa Edwards. Thrashers Executive VP and GM Don Waddell was also involved, pulling double duty as a celeb coach while also suiting up to play.
“This is a great event to raise money for charity,” said Waddell (right). “It was an opportunity for guys to come out and compete, and as I learned in the first game, the teams were really into it.”
Many Atlanta Spirit employees were on hand to cheer on their team and provide Waddell with some support – and a little ribbing.
“Yeah, they were all looking for me to take it strong to the hole,” he laughed. “I had pretty good hands when I was a hockey player, so I thought I would do alright out there. In one of the games I hit a guy on top of the head and he wasn’t too happy, but I told him ‘This is a contact sport, you gotta be able to take it!’”
The Spirit team looked to be the favorite with several players with collegiate or better basketball experience, but lost in the championship game.
After the tournament, the participants had a reception at McCormick & Schmick’s where trophies were awarded for the winning team and for some of the participants, including honors for MVP, funniest, and most hustle.
The event raised over $35,000 for cystic fibrosis research. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease affecting 30,000 Americans. The defective CF gene causes a thick, sticky mucus to build up in patients' lungs, reducing lung function and leading to life-threatening infections. The disease also weakens the body's ability to break down foods, causing malfunction of the pancreas and digestive systems.
Micah Hart is the Assistant Web Editor for the Atlanta Hawks
Dominique Wilkins instructs his team
Former NBA star Ralph Sampson and 790 The Zone's Mike Bell comment on the action
