Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins (July 17, 1942 – October 6, 2017) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk" was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 1992.

Early years

Hawkins was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, where he attended

Boys High School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

, and played for coach Mickey Fisher. Hawkins soon became a fixture at

Rucker Park Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the former Polo Grounds site. It is geographically at the base of a large cliff ...

, a legendary outdoor court where he battled against some of the best players in the world. Hawkins did not play much until his junior year at Boys High. Hawkins was All-City first team as a junior as Boys went undefeated and won New York's

Public Schools Athletic League The Public Schools Athletic League, known by the abbreviation PSAL, is an organization that promotes student athletics in the public schools of New York City. It was founded in 1903 to provide and maintain a sports program for students enrolled in ...

(PSAL) title in 1959. During his senior year he averaged 25.5 points per game, including one game in which he scored 60, and Boys again went undefeated and won the 1960 PSAL title. Hawkins then signed a scholarship offer to play at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

College and investigation into point-shaving

During Hawkins' freshman year at

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, he was a victim of the hysteria surrounding a

point-shaving In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to change the final score of a game without changing who wins. This is typically done by players colluding with gamblers to prevent a team from covering a ...

scandal that had started in New York City. Hawkins' name surfaced in an interview conducted with an individual who was involved in the scandal. While some of the conspirators and characters involved were known to or knew Hawkins, none – including the New York attorney at the center of the scandal,

Jack Molinas Jacob Louis Molinas (October 31, 1931 – August 3, 1975) was an American professional basketball player and a key figure in one of the most wide-reaching point shaving scandals in college basketball. Early life Molinas grew up in Brooklyn ...

– had ever sought to involve Hawkins in the conspiracy. Hawkins had borrowed $200 ($ in current dollar terms) from Molinas for school expenses, which his brother Fred repaid before the scandal broke in 1961. The scandal became known as the 1961 college basketball gambling scandal. Despite the fact that Hawkins could not have been involved in point-shaving (as a freshman, due to NCAA rules of the time, he was ineligible to participate in varsity-level athletics), he was kept from seeking legal counsel while being grilled by New York City detectives who were investigating the scandal.

Expulsion from Iowa

As a result of the investigation, despite never being arrested or indicted, Hawkins was expelled from Iowa. He was effectively blackballed from the college ranks; no NCAA or NAIA school would offer him a scholarship.

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

commissioner

J. Walter Kennedy James Walter Kennedy (June 8, 1912 – June 26, 1977) was an American businessman and politician, best known as the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1963 until 1975. Profile Early life James Walter Kennedy wa ...

let it be known that he would not approve any contract for Hawkins to play in the league. At the time, the NBA had a policy barring players who were even remotely involved with point-shaving scandals. As a result, when his class was eligible for the draft in 1964, no team selected him. He went undrafted in 1965 as well before being formally banned from the league in 1966.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Rens (1961–1963)

With the major professional basketball league having blackballed him, Hawkins played one season for the

Pittsburgh Rens The Pittsburgh Rens were an American basketball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961–1963. History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and pa ...

of the American Basketball League (ABL), an aspiring rival to the NBA, and was named the league's most valuable player.

Harlem Globetrotters (1963–1967)

After that league folded in the middle of the 1962–63 season, Hawkins spent four years performing with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

. During the time Hawkins was traveling with the Globetrotters, he filed a $6 million

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

against the NBA, claiming the league had unfairly banned him from participation and that there was no substantial evidence linking him to gambling activities. Hawkins's lawyers suggested that he participate in the new

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(ABA) as a way to establish his talent level as adequate to participate in the NBA, as well as an immediate source of income.

Pittsburgh/Minnesota Pipers (1967–1969)

Hawkins joined the

Pittsburgh Pipers Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylv ...

in the inaugural 1967–68 season of the ABA, leading the team to a 54–24 regular season record and the 1968 ABA championship. Hawkins led the ABA in scoring that year and won both the ABA's regular season and playoff MVP awards. The Pipers moved to Minnesota for the 1968–69 season, and injuries limited Hawkins to 47 games. Hawkins had surgery on his knee. The Pipers made the playoffs despite injuries to their top four players, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Following the playoffs, the Pipers franchise moved back to Pittsburgh. Hawkins' lawyer, Roslyn Litman, and her husband, fellow lawyer S. David Litman, who was the brother of the Rens owner, successfully argued a 1966 judgement in favor of Hawkins on antitrust grounds. The NBA had refused to allow any team to hire Hawkins, who at the time the Litmans started working with him was still playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. In the light of several major media pieces, notably in ''Life'' magazine, establishing the dubious nature of the evidence connecting Hawkins to gambling, the NBA concluded it was unlikely to successfully defend the lawsuit. Seeking to avoid a defeat in court which might jeopardize its ability to bar players who had actually participated in gambling, the NBA elected to settle after the 1968–69 season and admit Hawkins to the league. The league agreed to a $1.3M settlement in 1969. The league paid Hawkins a cash settlement of nearly $1.3 million ($ in current dollar terms), and assigned his rights to the expansion

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. He would be assigned to the Suns as a result of them winning a coin toss over the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

. Although the Pipers made a cursory effort to re-sign him, playing in the NBA had been a longtime ambition for Hawkins and he quickly signed with the Suns.

Phoenix Suns (1969–1973)

In 1969, still recovering from knee surgery in his final ABA season, Hawkins hit the ground running with the

, when he played 81 games and averaged 24.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In the final game of his rookie season, Connie had 44 points, 20 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks and 5 steals. The Suns finished third in the Western Conference, and in the 1970 NBA playoffs they were knocked out by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in a seven-game Western Conference Semifinals series in which Hawkins carried the Suns against a team that had future Hall of Famers

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lake ...

and

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

. In Game 2 of the series, on March 29, 1970, Hawkins led the Suns to a 114-101 victory while scoring 34 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, and recording 7 assists. For the series, Hawkins averaged 25 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists per game. He missed 11 games due to injury during the 1970–71 season, averaging 21 points per game. He matched those stats the next year, and was the top scorer on a per-game basis for the Suns in the 1971–72 season. He averaged a comparatively low 16 points per game for the Suns in the 1972–73 season.

Los Angeles Lakers (1973–1975)

Averaging 11.3 points nine games into the 1973–74 season and having been replaced in the starting lineup by

Mike Bantom Michael Allen Bantom (born December 3, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'9" power forward/center from Saint Joseph's University, Bantom won a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics as a member of the United States ...

, Hawkins was traded from the Suns to the Lakers for

Keith Erickson Keith Raymond Erickson (born April 19, 1944) is an American former basketball, and volleyball player. After graduating from El Segundo High School (California), attended El Camino College. Erickson then played basketball at UCLA, where he was a ...

and a

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

second-round selection (31st overall– Fred Saunders) on October 30.

Atlanta Hawks (1975–1976)

Injuries limited Hawkins' production in the 1974–75 season, and he finished his career after the 1975–76 season, playing for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

Milestones

Connie Hawkins was named to the

ABA's All-Time Team The ABA All-Time Team were chosen in 1997 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the American Basketball Association (ABA). It comprised the 30 best and most influential players of the ABA during its ten years and nine full regu ...

. Due to knee problems, Hawkins played in the NBA for only seven seasons. He was an All-Star from 1970 to 1973 and was named to the All-NBA First Team in the 1969–70 season. His No. 42 jersey was retired by the Suns. Despite being unable to play in the NBA when he was in his prime, Hawkins' performances throughout the ABL, ABA and NBA helped get him inducted into the

in 1992.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left; , 1961-62 , style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh (ABL) , 78 , , – , , 42.9 , , .509 , , .167 , , .790 , , 13.3 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 27.5* , - , style="text-align:left; , 1962-63 , style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh (ABL) , 16 , , – , , 41.8 , , .491 , , – , , .770 , , 12.8 , , 2.6 , , – , , – , , 27.9 , - , style="text-align:left;left;background:#afe6fa;" , † , style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh (ABA) , 70 , , – , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 44.9* , , .519 , , .222 , , .764 , , 13.5 , , 4.6 , , – , , – , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 26.8* , - , style="text-align:left" , , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota (ABA) , 47 , , – , , 39.4 , , .511 , , .136 , , .767 , , 11.4 , , 3.9 , , – , , – , , 30.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 81 , , – , , 40.9 , , .490 , , – , , .779 , , 10.4 , , 4.8 , , – , , – , , 24.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , – , , 37.5 , , .434 , , – , , .816 , , 9.1 , , 4.5 , , – , , – , , 20.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , – , , 36.8 , , .459 , , – , , .807 , , 8.3 , , 3.9 , , – , , – , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , – , , 36.9 , , .479 , , – , , .797 , , 8.5 , , 4.1 , , – , , – , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , – , , 27.9 , , .486 , , – , , .667 , , 7.2 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 71 , , – , , 35.7 , , .502 , , – , , .772 , , 7.4 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , – , , 23.9 , , .429 , , – , , .687 , , 4.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 74 , , – , , 25.8 , , .447 , , – , , .712 , , 6.0 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 8.2 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 710 , , – , , 37.0 , , .484 , , .162 , , .780 , , 9.4 , , 3.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 19.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left; , 1962 , style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh (ABL) , 1 , , – , , 53.0 , , .609 , , – , , .929 , , 17.0 , , 4.0 , , – , , – , , 41.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa;" ,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

† , style="text-align:left;, Pittsburgh (ABA) , 14 , , – , , 44.0 , , .594 , , – , , .729 , , 12.3 , , 4.6 , , – , , – , , 29.9 , - , style="text-align:left" , 1969 , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota (ABA) , 7 , , – , , 45.7 , , .378 , , .500 , , .645 , , 12.3 , , 3.9 , , – , , – , , 24.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , – , , 46.9 , , .413 , , – , , .818 , , 13.9 , , 5.9 , , – , , – , , 25.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , – , , 34.4 , , .350 , , – , , .800 , , 8.0 , , 3.2 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 10.8 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 34 , , – , , 43.8 , , .473 , , .500 , , .743 , , 12.1 , , 4.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 25.5

Personal life

The Hawkins' story up to 1971 is documented in the biography, ''Foul'' by David Wolf, In a skit for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' in 1975, Hawkins played against singer

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

in a one-on-one game accompanied by Simon's song "

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his second, self-titled studio album (1972), released on Columbia Records. Lyrical subject The song is about two boys ("Me a ...

." The skit was presented as a schoolyard challenge between the two and had Simon winning, despite the disparity in height between the two men (Simon at 5 ft 3 in, Hawkins at 6 ft 8 in). One of Hawkins' nephews is Jim McCoy Jr., who scored a school-record 2,374 career points for the

UMass Minutemen basketball The UMass Minutemen basketball team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. They play their home games in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. The Minutemen cur ...

team from 1988 to 1992. He was the grandfather of Shawn Hawkins, who played professional basketball internationally and was a two-time scoring champion in Taiwan's

Super Basketball League The Super Basketball League (超級籃球聯賽), often abbreviated as the SBL, is a semi-professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Taiwan. Current clubs Currently, there are four teams competing in the SBL. They are ...

(SBL). Hawkins retired in Phoenix, Arizona and worked in community relations for the Suns for many years until his death on October 6, 2017, at the age of 75 from cancer; no other cause was given.

In popular culture

Hawkins’ story is the topic of a song titled "The Legend of Connie Hawkins" by Dispatch on their 2021 album ''Break Our Fall''.

References

External links

Basketball Hall of Fame profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Connie 1942 births 2017 deaths African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Banned National Basketball Association players Basketball players from New York City Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni Centers (basketball) Harlem Globetrotters players Los Angeles Lakers players Minnesota Pipers players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Phoenix Suns players Pittsburgh Pipers players Pittsburgh Rens players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Brooklyn Undrafted National Basketball Association players University of Iowa alumni 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people