The Sad Demise of Former Knicks Star Gerald Wilkins
In the mid-1980s, Gerald Wilkins was a star for the New York Knicks. He was consistently the second-leading scorer behind superstar center Patrick Ewing. The pair teamed up to lead the New York Knicks to the playoffs multiple seasons during their time together. Since retiring from the NBA, the two players’ lives have gone in very different directions. Ewing is currently the head coach at his alma mater Georgetown University. Sadly, Wilkins has lately found himself in jail for a variety of offenses.
Gerald Wilkins’ NBA career
The New York Knicks selected Gerald Wilkins in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft, the same year the team selected Patrick Ewing as the No. 1 overall pick. Wilkins arrived in the Big Apple and made an immediate impact his first season averaging 12.5 points per contest. Wilkins, the younger brother of superstar high-flying dunker Dominique, followed in his brother’s footsteps in 1986 and 1987, entering the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. His best finish was fourth.
In his second year with the Knicks, Wilkins had the best season of his career in offensive production, averaging an impressive 19.1 points per game. He remained a steady presence in New York through the 1992 season before he left for Cleveland.
After a couple of seasons with the Cavaliers, Wilkins suffered an injured Achilles and missed the entire 1994-95 season. He finished out his career playing the final three seasons with the Orlando Magic. Over his career, he averaged 13 points per game.
Wilkins’ kids have been successful
While Gerald Wilkins was always considered second-best to his Hall of Fame brother, Wilkins accomplished something his older brother never did. Gerald’s son, Damien, made it to the NBA and had a 10-year-career.
During his decade of play, the younger Wilkins played for seven different teams, including his best season in 2007-08 with the Seattle Supersonics, when he averaged 9.2 points per game. Damien, however, isn’t the only one of Wilkins’ offspring to find success in the professional world.
Gerald’s daughter, Jasmyn, was a regular beauty pageant contestant and was crowned Miss Georgia in 2012. She then finished fourth runner-up in the Miss USA contest that same year. Since that time, she has been featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Gerald Wilkins and recent run-ins with the law
Like the rest of the world, 2020 has been a rough year for Gerald Wilkins. But it’s been considerably worse for the former Knicks star who had his first run-in with the law back in May. In that incident, Wilkins was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman and criminal trespassing. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of a string of incidents.
According to CBS 46 in Atlanta, police arrested Wilkins in June for simple battery, theft by taking, and aggravated assault. He was charged after a workplace incident where he was accused of throwing an object at a colleague and chasing another co-worker with a screwdriver.
Wilkins’ most recent problems occurred last week, when according to the police report obtained by TMZ, he got in an argument with a rideshare driver. Angered because the female driver would not let him in the car, he allegedly punched her in the shoulder. Two men attempted to intervene, and Wilkins allegedly struck one of the men in the face. Wilkins reportedly called 9-1-1 claiming to be the victim, but after police arrived and interviewed witnesses, he was arrested.
Gerald Wilkins’ life in 2020 has been a struggle. What his future holds, no one knows. But his legacy as a New York Knicks star and his ability to fly high above the rim will never be forgotten
