Darnell Hillman, 6’9’’, made quite a stand at North Decatur High School’s Chautauqua on Dec. 1.
Hillman was contacted by John Pratt, a social sciences teacher at North, to appear as one of a handful of speakers. He agreed to come, as part of his job to instill the importance of education in students through speaking.
Hillman played for the Indiana Pacers from 1971 until 1977, but his presentation was not centered on his fame. He began by asking for a show of hands who had attitude. According to him, everyone has attitude. Which attitude a person decides to pursue is what determines the outcome of their lives. Hillman thinks his success is connected to his driven attitude.
“You live in the best country on the planet, so when you hear this sound,” Hillman said as he knocked his massive fist on the podium, “opportunity is knocking. You better be ready to accept it when it comes.”
Hillman’s opportunity was joining the Pacers as a virtual unknown. He was an amazing high-jumper on the team. On a good day, his chest could reach the rim of the goal, with his entire arm up to his shoulder dunking the basketball. A hundred dollar bill was placed on the backboard once. Hillman took a leap for the money and ended up placing the hundred dollars in his pocket. His nickname as a Pacer quickly became “Dr. Dunk”.
He was in the first slam dunk competition in 1976 when the ABA and NBA merged. His winning strategy was to use his favorite dunk, Rock the Cradle.
Hillman also served in the army, where he traveled to different countries playing basketball. His army team only lost two games out of more than 300.
A fond memory of Hillman’s was the celebration after the Franchise Second Championship in New York. The celebration began with three cases of champagne before the team even left the locker room. The loud and rowdy team decided to have fun with the captain of the plane returning them to Indiana. Everyone went to one side of the plane and proceeded to jump up and down. The captain then came over the intercom saying all passengers needed to fasten their seatbelts. Once arriving at the airport, more than 4,000 people awaited to greet the champions. The team piled into police cars with sirens blaring and red lights flashing. The crowd multiplied to 6,000 as they approached their destination. A street party broke out for a couple hours.
“That day I remember real well,” Hillman said with a smile.
Hillman hopes his appearance at Chautauqua gave students a sense of willingness to take responsibility for their goals.
“If I just got one student to take charge of their life to become a highly regarded individual, then my work here is done,” Hillman explained.
He is currently the Director of Camps & Clinics/Alumni Relations for the Indiana Pacers.
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Hillman Slam Dunks Chautauqua
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