http://www.nba.com/article/2017/10/07/report-nba-hall-fame-forward-connie-hawkins-passes-away-75#/Now a lot of you who know your history probably know of Connie Hawkins, but to some other fans they might not have a clue. He probably has one of the least impressive resumes for those in the Hall of Fame, only a 4.5% HOF probability according to basketball-reference (which puts him behind guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyle Lowry, Deron Williams, Isaiah Thomas, Paul Milsap, and even Vin Baker and just ahead of Al Horford). But his story is fascinating.
- Grew up poor and practically illiterate in Brooklyn. - Ok you're thinking you've heard this before.
- Highly recruited by colleges out of high school. -Yawn, same story as 99% of the NBA
- Involved in an NCAA point shaving scandal before he ever played in an NCAA game. -Finally something you weren't expecting
- Blackballed from the NCAA and NBA, forced to play with the Globetrotters and the ABA -Told you it gets interesting
- Successfully sued the NBA, awarded $1.3m (about $8.8m today) and was assigned to the Suns -Think how cool that would be to have players do that today
I've read
Foul! The Connie Hawkins Story multiple times, and really think it's one of the best basketball books I've read. It gives you that raw look at the high school, college, and pro levels from the '50's-'70's.
You get stories about Rucker Park and some of the legends who played there. You get stories about the illegal recruitment by different colleges and the C's own Red Auerbach. What life is like after being blackballed by the NCAA and NBA. An inside look at the battles between the ABA and NBA, stories of what it was like to battle against Wilt and the Lakers in the playoffs, all tied together because a group of NYPD detectives bullied a young kid who could barely read during a point shaving investigation.
One of the best basketball books I've ever read. From 1972 so it's not readily available. Prices on Amazon are incredibly high, but I think it's worth the $20 it would cost to pluck one off of eBay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oElAuZFXC9o
Topic: RIP Connie Hawkins (Read 1156 times)