Sixers to honor the late Darryl Dawkins

The Philadelphia 76ers will honor the late NBA player Darryl Dawkins with a special tribute night on Saturday when the Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets.

The 6-foot-11 Dawkins, known as "Chocolate Thunder" because of his powerful dunks, died of a heart attack on Aug. 27 at age 58.

Tomorrow, when the @Sixers honor the late, great Daryl Dawkins, they'll take to the court in these special socks. pic.twitter.com/YSvy20haIj

— Stance Hoops (@stancehoops) February 5, 2016

"Darryl Dawkins Tribute Night" will be highlighted by a special halftime ceremony featuring live interviews with former Sixers teammates Bobby Jones and World B. Free.

Dawkins' legend swelled in 1979 when he twice shattered backboards with his rim-rattling dunks. He appeared in 726 games (232 starts) for Philadelphia, New Jersey, Detroit and Utah and averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game. His 57.2 career field-goal percentage ranks eighth in NBA history. — Reuters