An Ode to Dominique Wilkins and his Fingerwaved Hightop Fade

Nique was "it" when I was a youngin, plain and simple. MJ was great and all, but as a 10 year old living in "The A", Dominique was "The Man". Coming down on cats wasn't just a job for my dog, it was an obsession. His infamous yellow and red Reebok Pumps dangled as his power dunks rocked the Omni Arena.

ATL was definitely poppin in the early 90's. Braves had dominant pitching, Deion "Primetime" Sanders took helicopters to multiple sports in one day, LaFace and So So Def Records were starting their monster run as major players in Hip-Hop and R&B, and the city saw itself labeled as "The New Harlem". While all this was underway, Wilkins, the most lethal 2 leg dunker of all-time, had the key to the city (along with many other young, Black and rich men).


Easily one of the top 5 in game dunk artists, he was a tough player to guard. He definitely wouldn't be considered a shooter, but he could hit jumpers with people in his face. He wasn't a great ball handler, but he could drive past defenders. He was a scorer. The Human Highlight Reel accompanied by his legendary fingerwaved fade. That specific fade was unique in that it was wavy at the top, like a modern Nat King Cole. It was all the rage in the "A" with others including "Neon" Deion sporting it.

I may do a whole series of write ups on specific high-top fades from the NBA in the future, as I am mystified by the fade. For now, I'll just leave you with some Nique highlights