Darryl Dawkins
NBA legend Darryl Dawkins looks on during the 2012 NBA All-Star Game at the Amway Center on February 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The planet Lovetron lost its greatest citizen earlier this week when NBA great Darry Dawkins died of a heart attack at the age of 58.

Dawkins was one of the greatest players in the NBA during the late 70s and early 80s. His rim raking and backboard shattering dunks earned him the nickname, "Chocolate Thunder," a name he always said was given to him by Stevie Wonder.

"Stevie Wonder actually gave me the nickname 'Chocolate Thunder,'" Dawkins once said. "So a guy who never saw me can give me that name and I think I can wear it well."

Dawkins was the first player in NBA history to be drafted straight out of high school in 1975. His induction into the NBA paved the way for other high schoolers like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James to make the jump straight to the NBA.

Dawkins played 14 seasons as a center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons. He even had a stint with the famed Harlem Globetrotters in 1994-1995.

After his career ended, Dawkins became an ambassador for the NBA and mentor for its rising stars. On Thursday, upon news of his death, many NBA players tweeted out their condolences and respects to the NBA legend. Dawkins is survived by his wife Janice, and their four children.

Here are some of the greatest quotes from the man we called "Chocolate Thunder" from planet Lovetron.

"Lovetron was a planet that I even thought about in high school, and everybody say, 'Man you crazy.' It was just a planet in my own little mind that I could escape to whenever I wanted. And it was a drug-free planet, you know. It was just 'you get your girl and go off and y'all just chill out somewhere.' And it was Lovetron. And it was a lot of fun for me. I started to talk about it in Philadelphia, you know, and I thought people would think I was crazy, but people said, 'I like that'."

"The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam-Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam!"

"Take the strength of Shaquille O'Neal and put it together with the freedom of Dennis Rodman and you have the Chocolate Thunder."

"When everything is said and done, there is nothing left to do or say."

R.I.P. Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins.

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