It’s no secret the relationship Hall of Fame basketball player Dominique Wilkins has with Washington is an edgy one.

While etched into sports history forever, the Pam Pack legend, shaped by the late coach Dave Smith, has spent the last 35 years in limbo with his hometown. Never honored. Never recognized for his accomplishments.

“No one had ever seen a team quite like it,” said City of Washington Mayor Mac Hodges. “They were all good and it was more than a one man show. You knew you were witnessing something special when you went to a game over there.”

Wilkins left the banks of the Pamlico River in 1979, leaving behind two state championship trophies and a void that has yet to be filled. For those who witnessed greatness, the memories remain, but the corroded bond between Wilkins and the people of Washington has withered through the years.

Depending on who you talk to, the reasons for his voluntary banishment vary. Some believe it was because of his decision to attend Georgia, primarily a football institution, rather than attend local basketball powerhouse N.C. State.

Or the discontent could have been related to the accusations that surfaced soon after, claiming that Wilkins accepted money to play for the Bulldogs, though no hard evidence to support that notion was ever uncovered.

Others say it was his unwillingness to give back to the community that raised him. Then, there was an incident in 1979 involving a Chrysler Newport and a bucket of Wolfpack-red paint.

Whatever the reason, the Pam Pack hasn’t won a state championship since Wilkins left, which has hardly given local fans any relief.

But like anything else, time heals all wounds. Wilkins and the City of Washington will take the first step, a bold one, in mending what’s become a broken relationship.

On Dec. 16, Wilkins is coming home.

He will be welcomed by a parade on the waterfront, followed by a meet-and-greet at Festival Park. Later on that evening, the Washington athletic department will honor Wilkins for the first time in eternal fashion. At halftime of the Pam Pack’s basketball game against Greene Central, Wilkins’ number will be retired.

“I’m hoping it’ll be a very positive event,’ Hodges said. “I think the real benefit of it is that it’s an excellent opportunity to showcase Washington, especially being on the waterfront. It’s an outstanding opportunity for people to see Washington all over the world.

“He’ll be welcomed back and it will be an exciting day. He will have a positive impact on the kids.”

Wilkins’ homecoming will be filmed by a major sports outlet — one that requested its name not be disclosed — and later pieced together into a documentary.

“The reason we’re doing it is to show that there are opportunities through athletics and through your education, and here’s an example of someone who achieved great things in the basketball world and the business world,” said Jon Scharpenberg, athletic director and head girls’ basketball coach at Washington. “Basketball was a vehicle for Dominique. That’s what I want to show the athletes. I think for a lot of students, it’ll open their eyes to see what’s possible.”

While details about the documentary are limited, it will focus primarily on Wilkins’ early years in Washington and at Georgia, while exploring the reasons for the breakup.

Alongside future Wake Forrest standout Alvis Rodgers and three other Division I prospects, Wilkins won Class 3-A state championships in 1978 and ’79, playing on a team that lost just one game in three years (76-1).

Wilkins, who played most of an illustrious NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, is a nine-time All-Star, a former scoring champion and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

A leader in high school, college and the pros, Wilkins became known as “The Human Highlight Reel.” And soon, it will be the City of Washington joining him in the limelight.