The world’s oldest known statue is called, “Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel.” It is believed to date to 38,000 BCE, was discovered in a cave in Germany and depicts a lion’s head on a human body, which would be intimidating if it didn’t stand only 11.7 inches tall and, therefore, is kind of your Spud Webb of statues.
Nobody is certain why “Lion Man” came to be. But it may have been the start of humans honoring the real, the believed or the fantasy in marble, bronze and clay. Greek gods. Political leaders. War heroes. Sports stars. Rocky, who would not be defeated by Ivan Drago and protected us from communism.
In 40,000 years, we’ve transitioned from some mutant creature to The Thinker to The Dunker.
The Hawks are honoring Dominique Wilkins with a statue. As they should. As we should.
This isn’t the time to stand on a platform and scream that the man has been wronged for so many years because these things just happen when they happen, with no mandated time frame. But it’s a deserving honor for a special athlete in a city that hasn’t had many.
Wilkins isn’t merely the most famous player in franchise history, he’s one of Atlanta’s few iconic sports stars. The greatest athletes are honored with Hall of Fame inductions. The special ones are immortalized in bronze, and that’s something only a small percentage in Cooperstown, Canton and Springfield ever realize.
Hank Aaron understood that 33 years ago when his statue was unveiled at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, and he realizes it even more today.
“I remember how excited I was when I was told I was getting one,” he said. “At times people say things to you about how important they think you are, and how they feel. But then to see the statue was quite an honor. It doesn’t happen to everyone.”
This is Atlanta. We have plenty of room for sports statues. We have plenty of open weekends for championship parades. Because, well, duh.
The Braves have honored four Hall of Famers with statues: Aaron (depicted hitting his 715th home run), pitcher Phil Niekro (throwing a knuckleball), pitcher Warren Spahn (with his trademark high leg kick) and a sliding Ty Cobb (who didn’t play for the Braves, but he’s from Georgia and I’m guessing no other state would claim him).
Niekro still has difficulty believing there’s a statue of him.
“Every time I go to the stadium and see it, I still think, ‘Wow.’ I understand Hank Aaron and Ty Cobb and Warren Spahn, but I had no idea they thought of me in that category. I thought maybe they just needed some place for the pigeons to go.”
Well: 318 wins with a pitch that spits exhaust as it struggles to the plate. I’d say he’s worthy.
Niekro said of Wilkins, “It’s a hell of an honor, and he deserves it. When you think of the Hawks, you still think of Dominique. Who else are you going to think of?”
Atlanta’s sports history is known for Wilkins, Aaron and Niekro, as much as the non-sports history is known for Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Woodruff and Henry Grady (all of whom also have statues).
There are no statues of past Falcons, at least none that they’ll acknowledge. There’s one outside the Superdome in New Orleans that depicts Michael Koenen having a punt blocked by the Saints’ Steve Gleason in 2006, the first NFL game in the stadium following Hurricane Katrina. (There is no Falcons logo on Koenen’s helmet or jersey, and for some reason he didn’t make it to the unveiling.)
This will be the Hawks’ first statue. Some foolishly debate whether the franchise should honor a player who never led the franchise to a championship. With that warped logic, Aaron wouldn’t be worthy, either. His only World Series title came in Milwaukee. Willie Mays won his only World Series when the Giants were in New York, not San Francisco, where he has a statue.
Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Dan Marino, Ernie Banks, Rod Carew, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Ty Cobb. Eight statues, zero championships.
Jacques Dominique Wilkins was an All-Star in nine of his 12 NBA seasons. He played in an era when the NBA's Eastern Conference would crush some of today's players. He scored 26,668 points, which ranks No. 1 in franchise history and No. 14 in NBA history. Enough with the silly debate about whether we should honor the greatest Hawk of all.
Aaron: “To me, it’s long overdue. He’s been a star for a long time, going back to his time at the University of Georgia. His connection with the people has been there for a long time. He’s someone I’ve always admired, and for a long time to a lot of people in Atlanta he was the only basketball player people could recognize.”
They’ll recognize him now, every time they walk past the statue at Philips Arena. It will become a primary picture-taking spot, like the monuments at Turner Field. Aaron is inundated with autograph and “Can-you-stand-in-front-of-the-statue” picture requests whenever he walks through the plaza.
Statues stir memories. They are like a walk through history, even for those who created the moment.
Aaron: “When I go by the stadium, I still look at the statue, I still look at where the ball was hit” for his 715th home run.
Niekro: “When I see my statue or go to Cooperstown, I think of so many people that were impacted in my life. My brain goes back to my dad teaching me the knuckleball, and my family, my children, my brother. I think of my $500 (signing bonus).”
Aaron has a miniature version of the statue in his home. It stands less than three feet tall and was given to him by the artist, Ed Dwight Jr.
Problem: Aaron doesn’t have anywhere to put it.
“It’s sitting in the basement,” he said. “I don’t really have any other place for it in the house. But I’m not going to give it away. If anything, I would send it to the Hall of Fame.”
The options afforded only to legends.
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