Hawks honor Hall of Famer Wilkins by unveiling statue

ATLANTA - Dominique Wilkins says his statue unveiled by the Atlanta Hawks means ''we have history here now.''

The granite sculpture, 13 1/2 feet tall and more than 18,000 pounds, captures Wilkins soaring for a dunk.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Wilkins is ''one of the most entertaining players'' in NBA history. Current and former Hawks players attended Thursday's private ceremony at Philips Arena, as did such NBA legends as Julius Erving, Karl Malone and Clyde Drexler.

The statue will be moved to its permanent home outside the arena before Friday night's game against Cleveland.

Wilkins, a nine-time All-Star whose nickname was ''Human Highlight Film,'' was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He is a vice president of the team and an analyst on Hawks TV broadcasts.