Jackie Dinkins (January 22, 1950 – March 7, 1983) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He spent one season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

during the 1971–72 season as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

Professional career

Born in

Gadsden, South Carolina Gadsden is a census-designated place in Richland County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,632 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina metropolitan area. History The John J. Kaminer House, Magnolia, Oa ...

, he was drafted by the Bulls in the ninth round (150 overall) from

Voorhees College Voorhees University (formerly Voorhes College) is a private historically black university in Denmark, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. History In ...

. In his one NBA season, Jackie appeared in eighteen games, averaging 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. He later played in Belgium. From 1973 to 1975, he played two seasons for RZ (named Transol RZ for sponsorship reasons) in the Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

. Dinkins helped RZ become a popular basketball team in Rotterdam. He helped RZ win the 1973–74 Eredivisie title, the first in club history. The next season, they played in the

1974–75 FIBA European Champions Cup The 1974–75 FIBA European Champions Cup was the 18th edition of the European top-tier level professional basketball club competition FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague). The Final was held at the Arena Deurne, in Antwerp, Belgi ...

, where Dinkins was the leading scorer in both games (22 and 25 points) in the first round against

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

. In 1978, Dinkins signed with

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most ...

of the

Belgian League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 Belgian First Division A, 2020 ...

Personal

While playing in Liège Dinkins was diagnosed with a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

. He traveled frequently to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

for treatment. He died on March 7, 1983, in Liège at age 33. Dinkins was in the process of becoming a Belgian naturalized citizen before his death.

External links

References

1927 births 1983 deaths African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands American men's basketball players Basketball players from South Carolina Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players College men's basketball players in the United States People from Richland County, South Carolina Small forwards 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub