Feb. 24, 2016
Commodore History Corner Archive
Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium has hosted countless historic basketball games and other memorable sporting events. Many future NBA greats have run the gym’s hardwood floor as the Commodores hosted SEC and non-conference opponents.
On October 22, 1993, three future NBA Hall of Fame players and coach appeared in Memorial Gymnasium when the Atlanta Hawks played the San Antonio Spurs in an exhibition match. Dominique Wilkins, the Hawks scoring machine, faced the Spurs David Robinson and newly acquired Dennis Rodman, a rebounding force. Atlanta was coached by Hall of Famer (as a player at the time) Lenny Wilkens while John Lucas led the Spurs.
This was a time before the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators. Gaylord Entertainment was looking to the future with a hopeful NBA franchise in Nashville. Gaylord Entertainment had put up a $100,000 franchise application fee with the NBA. Nashville’s Gaylord Entertainment Center (Bridgestone) was scheduled to open in 1996.
Nashville only ignited the city’s hopes for a professional team when the Spurs/Hawks attracted a near-capacity 15,171 fans at Vanderbilt. Capacity was 15,317. The Oak Ridge Boys sang the National Anthem as the Spurs defeated the Hawks, 97-94. Hundreds of fans circled the floor taking photos during pregame warmups.
During the game, fans sitting in the end zones were warned by the game officials not to take flash photos of players at the free throw line. Wilkins scored a game-high 30 points. Other Hawks players in the game were Kevin Willis (17), Stacey Augmon (1), Mookie Blaylock (19), Craig Ehlo (9), Andrew Lang (4), Duane Ferrell (8), Todd Mundt (2), Ennis Whatley (4) and Jon Koncak was scoreless.
Terry Cummings led the Spurs with 21 points and Robinson recorded 18. Other San Antonio players in the game were former Tennessee Vols’ star Dale Ellis (6), Rodman (3), Willie Anderson (17), J.R. Reid (6), Antoine Carr (2), Sleepy Floyd (9), Chris Whitney (4), Lloyd Daniels (11), while Vinny Del Negro was scoreless. Rodman secured 12 rebounds in the game.
Rodman was in his first season with the Spurs after playing six seasons with Detroit where he was part of two NBA championships. He was traded during the offseason after developing a tense relationship with the Pistons’ management that involved a season of fines, suspensions and missed practices. The 6-foot-8 Rodman showed up at the Spurs training camp after dying his hair blond.
“…I plan on changing the color during the season, too. I just don’t know when or what color, though,” joked Rodman at a team practice at Belmont University the day before the exhibition. “A lot of people thought I did it because of Demolition Man (a movie where actor Wesley Snipes has blond hair), but I haven’t even seen it.
“I think this team is going to get excited when they see me diving into the seats and onto the floor to get a loose ball. I’m going to give it my very best and work as hard as I can.”
Rodman had been selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team the previous five years. His 18.7 rebounding average the season before was the highest in the NBA in 20 years. Said Rodman, “I think this team can win 55 games easy, and then go to work in the playoffs. I like it here because I am free. I’m a wild and crazy guy who can do what he wants to. Chuck Daly (Pistons head coach) told me once ‘never try and beat the game of basketball, just react and play.'”
Rodman’s prediction was perfect as the Spurs finished the regular season 55-27 for second place in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference behind Houston (58-24). Rodman led the NBA in rebounding (17.3 avg.). The Spurs lost to Utah in the first round of the playoffs, 3-1.
“The Worm” played 14 seasons in the NBA with Detroit (1986-93), San Antonio (1993-95), Bulls (1995-98), Lakers (1999) and Dallas (2000). After the NBA, Rodman played in several lower professional leagues. Rodman was a five-time NBA champion and a seven-time NBA rebounding champion.
In his 14 seasons, Rodman played in 911 games, scored 6,683 points (7.3 avg.) with 11, 954 rebounds (13.1 avg.). Detroit retired Rodman’s No. 10 jersey and he was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 2011.
David Robinson (U.S. Naval Academy) was the 1987 No. 1 draft selection by San Antonio, but waited two years to join the Spurs due to his two-year commitment to the U.S. Navy. At the end of the 1993-94 season, Robinson averaged an NBA best and career high 29.8 ppg. On April 4, 1994, he scored 71 points against the Clippers becoming just one of five players to score more than 70 points in a game.
“The Admiral” at 7-foot-1, is one of only four players to have recorded a quadruple-double scoring 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks against the Pistons on February 14, 1994. Robinson averaged 4.5 blocks per game in 1991-92, which is the seventh highest in an NBA single-season.
Robinson played his entire 14 seasons with San Antonio (1989-2003) scoring 20,790 points (21.1 avg.), 10,497 rebounds (10.6 avg.) and 2,954 (3.0 avg.) blocked shots in 987 games. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year (1990), two-time NBA champion, NBA MVP (1995), 10-time All-Star and named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Star Team. Robinson was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Atlanta (57-25) won the 1993-94 Central Division in the Eastern Conference, two games over the Bulls. They defeated Miami in the first round of the playoffs 3-2, but lost in the semifinals to Indiana, 4-2.
Wilkins was the third overall section in the 1982 draft by Utah, but later traded to Atlanta. The former Georgia Bulldog and SEC Player of the Year (1981) was a nine-time All-Star, NBA scoring champion in 1986 averaging 30.3 points per game, a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Champion and the Hawks all-time leading scorer.
Wilkins played 15 NBA seasons with Atlanta (1982-93), Hawks/Clippers (1993-94), Boston (1994-95), San Antonio (1996-97) and Orlando (1998-99). The “Human Highlight Film” played in 1,074 games scoring 26,668 points (24.8 avg.), 7,167 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 2,677 assists (2.5 avg.). Wilkins became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Lenny Wilkens played 15 seasons in the NBA from 1960-75 with St. Louis, Seattle, Cleveland and Portland. He was a nine-time All-Star and a member of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 16.5 points per game and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in1989 as a player.
Wilkens currently ranks second on the NBA All-Time wins list with 1,332 behind Don Nelson. He won one NBA championship in 1979 in Seattle and coached 32 seasons with Seattle (1969-72), Portland (1974-76), Seattle (1977-85), Cleveland (1986-93), Atlanta (1993-2000), Toronto (2000-03) and the Knicks (2004-05). Wilkens was a player-coach for three of those teams. He has coached in the most NBA regular season games (2,487) all-time. Wilkens was selected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1998.
If you have any comments or suggestions contact Bill Traughber via email WLTraughber@aol.com.
