National Basketball Association

Hawks to unveil Dominique Wilkins sculpture at Philips Arena on March 6

Published Feb. 10, 2015 6:29 p.m. ET

foxsports

One good turn deserves another.

With the Atlanta Hawks (NBA-best record of 43-10) on pace to enjoy their greatest regular season in history, they have also cemented plans to honor the franchise's most storied player.

On Tuesday, the club announced plans to debut a large granite sculpture of Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins -- the most prolific scorer in Hawks history (23,292 points) and the signature talent of a franchise that has existed since 1949 (originally as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks).

The Wilkins sculpture -- the creation of Brian Hanlon, the basketball Hall of Fame's official sculptor -- will stand 13 1/2 feet high and weigh approximately 18,500 pounds. It will also permanently reside between the iconic A-T-L-A-N-T-A letters outside Philips Arena.

"Dominique Wilkins has represented the Hawks organization and city of Atlanta in a first-class manner for over three decades. He is synonymous with Atlanta sports greatness and this statue and week-long celebration is fitting for his contributions to Atlanta and his place as the greatest player in franchise history," said Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin.

The Wilkins sculpture will be available for public consumption on March 6, the night of the Hawks' crucial clash with LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. (A special 3-D tribute will be also be shown, in Wilkins' honor.)

A private ceremony will be held the previous day, as family, friends, NBA legends and former teammates of Wilkins celebrate one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players Of All Time.

Highlights from the private ceremony honoring Wilkins will be televised in a special hour-long presentation, Celebrating Nique, at 8 p.m. ET on SportSouth.

The network will launch a special edition of the "FOX Sports Fan Express" with a tribute to Wilkins from Feb. 23-March 7. The Fan Express is a luxury coach which delivers a door-to-door, VIP experience for Hawks fans -- to and from Philips Arena.

The Cavaliers-Hawks game on March 6 will be televised exclusively on SportSouth; coverage begins at 6 p.m. with an encore presentation of Celebrating Nique, followed by the "Hawks LIVE" pregame show.