.jpg) Hodges in 1991 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1960-06-27)June 27, 1960 (age 65) Park Forest, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Rich East (Park Forest, Illinois) |
| College | Long Beach State (1978–1982) |
| NBA draft | 1982: 3rd round, 48th overall pick |
| Drafted by | San Diego Clippers |
| Playing career | 1982–1998 |
| Position | Shooting guard /point guard |
| Number | 24, 15, 25, 14 |
| Coaching career | 1994–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1982–1984 | San Diego Clippers |
| 1984–1988 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1988 | Phoenix Suns[note 1] |
| 1988–1992 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1993 | Shampoo Clear Cantù |
| 1994–1995 | Galatasaray |
| 1995–1996 | Rockford Lightning |
| 1997–1998 | Jämtland Ambassadors Östersund |
Coaching | |
| 1994–1996 | Chicago State |
| 2005–2011 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
| 2013–2014 | Halifax Rainmen |
| 2014–2015 | Westchester Knicks (assistant) |
| 2015 | Westchester Knicks (interim HC) |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As assistant coach:
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,940 (8.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 937 (1.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,769 (2.5 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960)[1] is an American former professionalbasketball player and former head coach of theWestchester Knicks of theNBA Development League. He played in theNBA for 10 seasons and led the league in3-point shooting percentage three times.[2] He won twoNBA championships with theChicago Bulls and, along withLarry Bird, is one of only two players to win three consecutiveThree Point Contests at theNational Basketball Association All-Star Weekend, winning the competition in 1990, 1991, and 1992.[3] Hodges also holds the Three Point Contest records for the most consecutive shots made with 19, set in 1991, and the most points scored in a single round at 25, set in 1986.[4] He was later a head coach atChicago State University, an assistant coach for theLos Angeles Lakers and head coach of theHalifax Rainmen of theNational Basketball League of Canada.[5]
Born inPark Forest, Illinois, Hodges playedcollege basketball atLong Beach State from 1978 to 1982. He played underTex Winter, who later coached him again as an assistant toPhil Jackson with theChicago Bulls.[6]
During his career in theNBA, Hodges played for theSan Diego Clippers,Milwaukee Bucks,Phoenix Suns, and Chicago Bulls. On December 12, 1985, Hodges led the Bucks in scoring with a career high 29 points, including a 27-foot three-point jump shot to force the game into overtime, in a 110–108 loss to theWashington Bullets.[7] That postseason, Hodges played a key role in the Bucks advancing past thePhiladelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.3 steals per game during the seven-game series,[8] which included 24 points and the game-winning basket in game seven.[9] The following round, in a pattern familiar for the 1980s Bucks, the team would ultimately fall short of reaching the NBA Finals, being eliminated by theBoston Celtics.[10] Hodges then played for the Bulls from1988 to1992, and helped them win twoNBA Championships in1991 and1992. He was waived by the Bulls after the 1991–92 season.[11]
After sitting out the NBA season, he played a season withClear Cantù in theItalian league.[12]
Hodges appeared in the first eightNBA All-StarThree Point Contests from 1986 to 1993, and won the contest three times, in 1990, 1991, and 1992.[3] He reached the final round on two other occasions, in 1986 when he lost toLarry Bird, and in 1989, when he lost toDale Ellis.[13]
Hodges holds the Three Point Contest records for the most consecutive shots made with 19 (1991) and is tied withJason Kapono for most points scored in a single round at 25 (1986). He is tied withHubert Davis for the highest score in the semifinal round at 24 (1991) and with six other players for the most bonus balls made with five (1989). Hodges has the second highest three-round combined score with 61 (1991).[4]
Hodges competed in the Three Point Contest at the 1993 NBA All-Star Weekend as a free agent after he was waived by the Bulls in 1992 and did not sign with an NBA team for the1992–93 season. The NBA initially left him off the field of contestants as he was not on an NBA roster at the time, but eventually allowed him to defend his 1992 title.[14] Hodges wore a generic "NBA" jersey in the contest. Hodges was eliminated after the semifinal, finishing behind eventual winnerMark Price andTerry Porter.[15]
Career Three Point Contest record
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | San Diego | 76 | 48 | 26.6 | .452 | .222 | .723 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 9.9 |
| 1983–84 | San Diego | 76 | 28 | 20.7 | .450 | .217 | .750 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 7.8 |
| 1984–85 | Milwaukee | 82* | 63 | 30.4 | .490 | .348 | .815 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 10.6 |
| 1985–86 | Milwaukee | 66 | 66 | 26.3 | .500 | .451* | .872 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 10.8 |
| 1986–87 | Milwaukee | 78 | 43 | 27.5 | .462 | .373 | .891 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 10.8 |
| 1987–88 | Milwaukee | 43 | 0 | 22.9 | .449 | .466* | .821 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 9.2 |
| 1987–88 | Phoenix | 23 | 0 | 20.1 | .489 | .544* | .844 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 10.1 |
| 1988–89 | Phoenix | 10 | 0 | 9.2 | .444 | .333 | .750 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 3.9 |
| 1988–89 | Chicago | 49 | 6 | 22.7 | .475 | .423 | .849 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| 1989–90 | Chicago | 63 | 0 | 16.7 | .438 | .481 | .909 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 6.5 |
| 1990–91† | Chicago | 73 | 0 | 11.5 | .424 | .383 | .963 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| 1991–92† | Chicago | 56 | 2 | 9.9 | .384 | .375 | .941 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.3 |
| Career | 695 | 256 | 21.7 | .461 | .400 | .828 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Milwaukee | 8 | 8 | 27.0 | .364 | .174 | .800 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 8.0 |
| 1985–86 | Milwaukee | 14 | 14 | 32.9 | .510 | .452 | .794 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 13.5 |
| 1986–87 | Milwaukee | 12 | 0 | 18.8 | .519 | .294 | .909 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 7.9 |
| 1988–89 | Chicago | 17* | 17 | 32.6 | .412 | .398 | .714 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 11.2 |
| 1989–90 | Chicago | 16 | 1 | 15.9 | .378 | .293 | .750 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.4 |
| 1990–91† | Chicago | 17 | 0 | 12.3 | .423 | .393 | .750 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.7 |
| 1991–92† | Chicago | 17 | 0 | 8.1 | .390 | .450 | .500 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Career | 101 | 40 | 20.4 | .436 | .363 | .784 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 7.2 | |
From 1994 to 1996, Hodges coachedcollege basketball atChicago State University, and was fired in 1996 with a win–loss record of 8–51 over two-plus seasons.[17]
In September 2005, Hodges joined theLos Angeles Lakers as a special assistant coach under his former Bulls coach,Phil Jackson. He worked with individual players on offensive skills, primarily shooting.[18] Jackson retired after the2010–11 season, and Hodges' contract with the Lakers expired as well.[19] Hodges also coached theHalifax Rainmen in the Canadian Basketball League for half a season,[20] and during his time as head coach of the Rainmen, was invited by Dennis Rodman to play in North Korea, but he was denied entry into that country, citing "I was looking forward to the opportunity of going and helping Dennis, as far as the basketball end of things", and saying "I'm for human rights, and so going to North Korea wasn't a matter of me going to rub political shoulders with the man that's in power. It was as a goodwill gesture, as a brotherhood — a brotherhood of sport,"[21]
After serving as an assistant coach for theWestchester Knicks during the 2014–15D-League season, he was named the team's interim coach for the final four games of the season on March 30, 2015, after head coach Kevin Whitted was fired.[22]
Hodges is currently head coach ofRich East High School in his hometown of Park Forest, Illinois.[citation needed]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Book Discussion on Long Shot, Book Talk,C-Span |
When theChicago Bulls visited theWhite House after winning the1991 NBA Championship, Hodges dressed in adashiki and delivered a hand-written letter addressed to then PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush, expressing his discontent at the administration's treatment of the poor and minorities.[23] The bookThe Jordan Rules related how Hodges had opposed theGulf War but mainly discussed his issues with teammates and coaches who mostly disagreed with him but didn't shun him for his views.
Hodges also criticized his Bulls teammateMichael Jordan for not using his fame to draw attention to social and political issues, and said Jordan was "bailing out" for not being politically outspoken.[24] In a 2022 podcast series onThe Ringer hosted byJackie MacMullan that covered "NBA Icons", MacMullan quoted Hodges as having asked Jordan to leaveNike and form a new athletic-wear company that would be staffed by minorities, and also that Hodges asked Jordan andMagic Johnson to lead a boycott of the1991 NBA Finals to protest the beating ofRodney King by the LAPD. Jordan ignored the former call and bluntly told Hodges (along with Magic) that the boycott idea was a non-starter.
In 1996, Hodges filed an unsuccessful $40 million lawsuit against theNBA and its then 29 teams, claiming they blackballed him for his association withLouis Farrakhan and criticism of "African-American professional athletes who failed to use their considerable wealth and influence to assist the poor and disenfranchised."[17] The lawsuit claimed that Bulls assistant coachJim Cleamons told him that the team was troubled by his criticism of players' lack of involvement in inner-city communities.[23] The suit also claimedBilly McKinney, the director of player personnel for theSeattle SuperSonics, initially showed interest in Hodges in 1992, and then shortly after backed away, telling Hodges he could do nothing because "brothers have families, if you know what I mean." While a Bulls official said Hodges was waived as he was getting old and could not play defense, head coachPhil Jackson said:
"I also found it strange that not a single team called to inquire about him. Usually, I get at least one call about a player we've decided not to sign. And yes, he couldn't play much defense, but a lot of guys in the league can't, but not many can shoot from his range, either."[17]
In 2014, Hodges was named to a team assembled byDennis Rodman as part of his "basketball diplomacy" effort inNorth Korea with the job of playing an exhibition match against theNorth Korea men's national basketball team to celebrate the birthday ofKim Jong-Un.[25] He failed to make it into the country as his flight from Canada to Beijing was delayed, causing him to miss the connecting flight to Pyongyang and prompting the Chinese government to send him immediately back to Canada.[26]
Hodges is the father of Jamaal, Noah (who is an actor, golfer and musician) and Jibril (who also played atLong Beach State).[27]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |