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Player profile · DET / NJN / PHI / UTA
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins stats, teams and career impact
#574 all-timeCareer averages · 12.0 PPG · 6.1 RPG · 1.3 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Detroit Pistons
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 11 in (211 cm) · 251 lb (114 kg)
- Born
- January 11, 1957
- Died
- August 27, 2015 (58 yrs old)
- NBA seasons
- 14 seasons · 1975–76 to 1988–89
Career summaryDarryl Dawkins was a center who played 14 NBA seasons, from 1975–76 through 1988–89.
- Career PPG
- 12.0
- Career RPG
- 6.1
- Career APG
- 1.3
- #43 in 1985–86
- #574 all-time
Career overview
Why Darryl Dawkins ranks #574 all time
Darryl Dawkins ranks #574 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #45.7. His full-career value ranks #634, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
726 games · Career Value Rank #634
Head to head
Compare Darryl Dawkins with…
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- Darryl Dawkins vs. Scott Wedman Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Detroit Pistons, and Utah Jazz
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 57.2%FG%
- Three-point
- 13.3%3P%
- Free throw
- 68.5%FT%
726 career games · 17,235 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Darryl Dawkins stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1988–89 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | -11.84 | DET | 14 | 0 | 3.4 | 47.4% | — | 50.0% | — | -9.4 |
| 1987–88 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | -14.20 | DET/UTA | 6 | 0 | 5.5 | 22.2% | — | 40.0% | — | -8.5 |
| 1986–87 | 9.5 | 3.2 | 0.3 | -7.88 | NJN | 6 | 2 | 17.7 | 62.5% | — | 70.8% | — | -13.2 |
| 1985–86 | 15.3 | 4.9 | 1.5 | +1.70 | NJN | 51 | 3 | 23.7 | 64.4% | 0.0% | 70.7% | #43 | 96.0 |
| 1984–85 | 13.5 | 4.6 | 1.2 | -1.66 | NJN | 39 | 30 | 24.9 | 56.6% | 0.0% | 71.1% | #164 | 6.9 |
| 1983–84 | 16.8 | 6.7 | 1.5 | +1.19 | NJN | 81 | 80 | 29.8 | 59.3% | 40.0% | 73.5% | #52 | 165.2 |
| 1982–83 | 12.0 | 5.2 | 1.4 | -0.99 | NJN | 81 | 81 | 25.8 | 59.9% | — | 64.6% | #140 | 46.0 |
| 1981–82 | 11.0 | 6.4 | 1.1 | -1.37 | PHI | 48 | 36 | 23.4 | 56.4% | 0.0% | 69.5% | #169 | 14.9 |
| 1980–81 | 14.0 | 7.2 | 1.4 | -0.20 | PHI | 76 | 76 | 27.5 | 60.7% | — | 72.0% | #111 | 81.1 |
| 1979–80 | 14.7 | 8.7 | 1.9 | -0.88 | PHI | 80 | 80 | 31.8 | 52.2% | 0.0% | 65.3% | #135 | 60.8 |
| 1978–79 | 13.1 | 8.1 | 1.6 | +0.01 | PHI | 78 | 12 | 26.1 | 51.7% | — | 67.2% | #89 | 91.1 |
| 1977–78 | 11.7 | 7.9 | 1.2 | +1.47 | PHI | 70 | 11 | 24.6 | 57.5% | — | 70.9% | #42 | 135.0 |
| 1976–77 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 0.4 | +0.39 | PHI | 59 | 0 | 11.6 | 62.8% | — | 50.6% | #82 | 36.8 |
| 1975–76 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.1 | -6.67 | PHI | 37 | 1 | 4.5 | 50.0% | — | 33.3% | — | -17.3 |
| Career | 12.0 | 6.1 | 1.3 | — | DET/NJN/PHI/UTA | 726 | — | 23.7 | 57.2% | 13.3% | 68.5% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
61.9 composite · lower is better
61.6 average league finish
685 total value
Career standing
How Darryl Dawkins ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 250.0
- Qualified seasons
- 10
- All-time rank
- #574
Every season
Darryl Dawkins advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 32 | 14 | 48 | -11.84 | — | — | -9.4 | — | Limited |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | DET/UTA | 31 | 6 | 33 | -14.20 | — | — | -8.5 | — | Limited |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 30 | 6 | 106 | -7.88 | — | — | -13.2 | — | Limited |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 29 | 51 | 1,207 | +1.70 | 83.5 | #43 | 96.0 | 65th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 28 | 39 | 972 | -1.66 | 35.6 | #164 | 6.9 | 34th | Standard |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 27 | 81 | 2,417 | +1.19 | 79.4 | #52 | 165.2 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | NJN | 26 | 81 | 2,093 | -0.99 | 45.1 | #140 | 46.0 | 51st | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 25 | 48 | 1,124 | -1.37 | 33.9 | #169 | 14.9 | 35th | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 24 | 76 | 2,088 | -0.20 | 55.6 | #111 | 81.1 | 62nd | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 23 | 80 | 2,541 | -0.88 | 42.0 | #135 | 60.8 | 52nd | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 22 | 78 | 2,035 | +0.01 | 61.2 | #89 | 91.1 | 62nd | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 21 | 70 | 1,722 | +1.47 | 82.6 | #42 | 135.0 | 77th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 20 | 59 | 684 | +0.39 | 66.7 | #82 | 36.8 | 47th | Standard |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 19 | 37 | 165 | -6.67 | — | — | -17.3 | — | Limited |
Career movement
Darryl Dawkins's career impact by season
Peak +1.70 in 1985–86 · 14 seasons · 17,235 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
| NBA season | Darryl Dawkins | Marcin Gortat |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -6.7 | -8.7 |
| 2 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| 3 | 1.5 | -1.2 |
| 4 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| 5 | -0.9 | 1.9 |
| 6 | -0.2 | -0.0 |
| 7 | -1.4 | 1.0 |
| 8 | -1.0 | 1.5 |
| 9 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| 10 | -1.7 | -1.2 |
| 11 | 1.7 | -0.8 |
| 12 | -7.9 | -2.6 |
| 13 | -14.2 | Did not play |
| 14 | -11.8 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Darryl Dawkins
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
Marcin Gortat
89career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 2012–13C · All-Time Career #850Benoit Benjamin
89career similarity score
81/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 1993–94PF · All-Time Career #958Austin Croshere
89career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 2005–06Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →