Former NBA Player Darryl Dawkins Dies

Darryl Dawkins was once summoned in the Philadelphia 76ers' locker room to meet a celebrity who wanted to meet the man known for dunking with backboard-breaking force.

The guest was Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder. The entertainer is blind, yet even he could tell there was something unique about Dawkins' game.

"A guy who never saw me," a beaming Dawkins said in a 2011 interview, "gave me the name 'Chocolate Thunder.'"

The name stuck, and the rim-wrecking, glass-shattering dunks remain unforgettable -- as will the giant of a man who changed the game with them.

Dawkins died Thursday at a hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to the Lehigh County coroner's office. He was 58, and even though officials said an autopsy would be performed Friday, his family released a statement saying the cause of death was a heart attack.

"Darryl touched the hearts and spirits of so many with his big smile and personality, ferocious dunks, but more than anything, his huge, loving heart," his family said.

Dawkins spent parts of 14 seasons in the NBA with Philadelphia, New Jersey, Utah and Detroit. He averaged 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 726 regular-season games. His 57.2 field goal percentage is seventh best in NBA history.

Bulls' Rose Says Allegations Untrue

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose said Thursday that a lawsuit filed recently in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing him of sexual misconduct is based on untrue allegations.

"I am just focusing on staying healthy and getting ready for the season," Rose said in a statement. "I am not going to comment other than to say: I know the truth, and am confident I will be proven innocent."

The lawsuit, first reported by TMZ Sports, was filed Wednesday by an unidentified woman who said she dated Rose from 2011 to 2013. She is accusing Rose and two friends of slipping a drug into her drink and later committing sexual acts against her will. The incident, she alleges, occurred in August 2013.

The lawsuit was unclear regarding the timeline of the incident, but an attorney for the woman told ESPN it took place on one day.