If there was NBA royalty, Sonics swingman Damien Wilkins would come from a noble line. Wilkins' father, Gerald, played 14 years in the NBA with five teams and was a long-time starter. His uncle, Dominique (a.k.a. the Human Highlight Film), was a nine-time All-Star and is the Atlanta Hawks all-time leading scorer. After a quick start to his NCAA career at North Carolina State, Damien entered the 2001 NBA Draft but decided to withdraw and transfer to Georgia. There, he had two solid but unspectacular seasons and went undrafted in 2004. A renewed diligence in the weight room helped Wilkins have a big summer league and shine in preseason action for the Sonics, allowing him to make the team. After biding his time and working after practice, Wilkins got his shot in late March of his rookie season and came through, scoring a career-high 21 points, including the game-winning basket, at Portland on March 24. Wilkins would start seven games the rest of the way as the Sonics battled injuries. He proved himself in the playoffs when injuries struck again, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and five steals in the Sonics Game 4 win over San Antonio. A restricted free agent in the summer of 2005, Wilkins received an offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves that the Sonics chose to match.
2004-05 Wilkins Gallery
