 Hawkins with the ABA's most valuable player award in 1968 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1942-07-17)July 17, 1942 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 2017(2017-10-06) (aged 75) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Boys (Brooklyn, New York) |
| NBA draft | 1964:undrafted |
| Playing career | 1961–1976 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 42 |
| Career history | |
| 1961–1962 | Pittsburgh Rens |
| 1963–1967 | Harlem Globetrotters |
| 1967–1969 | Pittsburgh/Minnesota Pipers |
| 1969–1973 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1973–1975 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1975–1976 | Atlanta Hawks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 11,528 (18.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,450 (8.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,556 (4.1 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Cornelius Lance "Connie"Hawkins (July 17, 1942 – October 6, 2017) was an American professionalbasketball player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk" was to play basketball for theIowa Hawkeyes but was unjustly implicated in a point-shaving scandal that saw him kicked out of school as a freshman and essentially blackballed from the NBA. Hawkins found refuge with thePittsburgh Rens of theAmerican Basketball League, where he won the 1961 league MVP before the league folded. He played four years for the famed exhibition teamHarlem Globetrotters before getting to play in theAmerican Basketball Association with thePittsburgh Pipers in 1967. He won the first league MVP award by averaging 26.8 points and led the team to the ABA championship. After a stellar second season, Hawkins was allowed to play in the NBA after a lawsuit filed on his behalf proved successful in stirring public opinion. Wracked with injuries, Hawkins would play seven seasons in the NBA for three different teams, most notably thePhoenix Suns before retiring in 1976 at the age of 34. In eleven seasons of professional basketball, Hawkins was an All-Star six times (four NBA, two ABA) while being named a First Team player in each of the three leagues he played in. Hawkins was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
Hawkins was born on July 17, 1942, in theBedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.[1] He was one of six children, whose father left the family when he was 10; supported by a mother who worked as a cook while suffering from glaucoma.[2] He attendedBoys High School, and played for coachMickey Fisher.[3] Hawkins soon became a fixture atRucker Park, a legendary outdoor court where he battled against some of the best players in the world, such asWilt Chamberlain.[4][5][6]
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'sPublic Schools Athletic League (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.[3][7][8] In 1960, he was named aParade magazine high school All-American.[9] Hawkins then signed a scholarship offer to play at theUniversity of Iowa.
In 2003, the 1959 and 1960 Boys High basketball teams were inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.[7]
During Hawkins' freshman year atIowa, he was a victim of the hysteria surrounding apoint-shaving 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 – had ever sought to involve Hawkins in the conspiracy. Hawkins had borrowed $200 ($2,100 in current dollar terms) from Molinas for school expenses, which his brother Fred repaid before the scandal broke in 1961.[8] The scandal became known as the1961 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 questioned by New York City detectives who were investigating the scandal.[10]
As a result of the investigation, during which Hawkins maintained that he had no involvement in the scheme,[11] and despite never being arrested or indicted, Hawkins was expelled from Iowa. He was effectivelyblackballed from the college ranks as no NCAA orNAIA school would offer him a scholarship.NBA commissionerJ. Walter Kennedy 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.[8] He was formally banned from the league in 1966.[8][12]
With the biggest professional basketball league having blackballed him, Hawkins signed an undrafted deal with thePittsburgh Rens of theAmerican Basketball League (ABL), an aspiring rival to the NBA. He played with them for only one season and one partial season before the league unceremoniously shut down on New Year's Eve in 1962.[2] On January 15, 1962, to kick off the second half of the ABL's inaugural season, he scored a league-record 54 points in a 110-108 loss to theCleveland Pipers.[13] By the end of the season, he would be both named a member of the All-ABL First Team and become the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP), putting up averages of 27.5 points (the league's leader that season), 13.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in 78 total games played for the Rens.[14][1] After finishing with a 41–40 overall record, which was good enough for a second place finish in the Eastern Division and to subsequently qualify for the only ABL Playoffs done in the second half of the season (the ABL used a first half playoff system and a second half playoff system during their only full season of play), Hawkins would put up a team-high 41 points and 17 rebounds alongside four assists in all 53 minutes of play in a 107–103 overtime loss to theSan Francisco Saints, which turned out to be his only playoff game played in the ABL. His second season would have him dealing with some injury problems, but before that season prematurely ended, he would still average 27.9 points (second behindBill Bridges that year), 12.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in only 16 games played for the Rens (out of 22 overall that were completed for a 12–10 record) that year.[15]
After that league folded in the middle of the 1962–63 season, Hawkins spent four years performing with theHarlem Globetrotters. He learned how to control the basketball whilebarnstorming with the Globetrotters, influencing his later playing style[16][2]
During the time Hawkins was traveling with the Globetrotters, he filed a $6 millionlawsuit 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 newAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) as a way to establish his talent level as adequate to participate in the NBA, as well as an immediate source of income.[17] Before playing in the ABA, Hawkins also played semi-professionally in a local industrial league called the Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association for a team called the Porky Chedwicks up until the summer of 1967. Also by this time, Hawkins was facing financial troubles from looking after his wife's brother, who was mentally challenged, as well as his own children.[18]
Hawkins joined thePittsburgh Pipers in the inaugural 1967–68 season of the ABA, leading the team to a 54–24 regular season record and the1968 ABA championship.[19][20] Hawkins led the ABA in scoring that year and won both the ABA's regular season andplayoff MVP awards.[21][22] He was noted for his highly skillful passing ability (especially for a big man), leaping ability, and his awareness of what his teammates were doing on the court.[2] The Pipers played against theNew Orleans Buccaneers in the ABA finals that year, whose roster included point guardLarry Brown (who had played against Hawkins on Brooklyn's public courts[23]) and backup forwardDoug Moe, who would both go on to long coaching careers, and Brown to the Hall of Fame.[24][25][26][27] Hawkins averaged 30.2 points per game and 11.2 rebounds in the series.[24]
The Pipers moved to Minnesota for the 1968–69 season, but injuries and a knee surgery limited Hawkins to 47 games, though he still averaged 30.2 points per game, was named to the All-Star team, and was second in MVP voting. The Pipers made the playoffs despite injuries to their top four players, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in seven games, where Hawkins averaged 24.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Following the playoffs, the Pipers franchise moved back to Pittsburgh.[21][22][28]
Hawkins' lawyer,Roslyn Litman, and her husband, fellow lawyer S. David Litman, who was the brother of the Rens owner, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA in 1966, arguing that the league and its owners blacklisted Hawkins.[23][29] 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.[23][29]
In the light of several major media pieces, most notably aLife magazine article written by David Wolf, 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 paid Hawkins a cash settlement of nearly $1.3 million (approximately $11,100,000 in 2024) in 1969,[23] and assigned his rights to the expansionPhoenix Suns (who had won a league sponsored coin toss over theSeattle SuperSonics).[30] 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. After the 1970 season, the thenPittsburgh Condors unsuccessfully attempted to woo Hawkins back to Pittsburgh.[2]
In 1969, still recovering from knee surgery in his final ABA season, Hawkins hit the ground running with thePhoenix Suns, when he played 81 games and averaged 24.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.[21] In the final game of his rookie season againstElvin Hayes and theSan Diego Rockets, Hawkins had 44 points, 20 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks and 5 steals.[31] The Suns finished third in theWestern Conference. In the1970 NBA playoffs they were knocked out by theLos Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Western Conference Semifinals series in which Hawkins carried the Suns against a team that had future Hall of FamersWilt Chamberlain,Elgin Baylor andJerry West.[32][33] 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.[34] For the series, Hawkins averaged 25.4 points per game, 13.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 46.9 minutes per game (despite his knee problems).[21]
Hawkins was named First Team All-NBA that season.[35] He was also a Western Conference starter in the All-Star game.[36] He was tied for fifth in MVP voting that year.[37]
He missed 11 games due to injury during the1970–71 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 the1971–72 season. He averaged a comparatively low 16 points per game for the Suns in the1972–73 season.[21]
Averaging 11.3 points nine games into the1973–74 season and having been replaced in the starting lineup byMike Bantom, Hawkins was traded from the Suns to the Lakers forKeith Erickson and a1974 second-round selection (31st overall–Fred Saunders) on October 30.[38][39]
Injuries limited Hawkins' production in the 1974–75 season, and he finished his career after the 1975–76 season, playing for theAtlanta Hawks, still playing 24 and 26 minutes a game those last two seasons, but averaging less than ten points a game.[21]
In 1997, Connie Hawkins was named to theABA's All-Time Team.[40]
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 wasretired by the Suns.[8]
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 theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.[9] He was the first Sun inducted into the Hall of Fame.[8]
Longtime ABA, NBA and college head coach Larry Brown, a contemporary of Hawkins from Brooklyn who witnessed Hawkins play, and played against him, during Hawkins' teen and ABA years, said of Hawkins, "'He wasJulius [Erving] before Julius, he wasElgin [Baylor] before Elgin, he wasMichael [Jordan] before Michael. .... He was simply the greatest individual player I have ever seen.'”[9][41] Hawkins himself called Baylor his model.[9] Doug Moe said of Hawkins, "'He was the first guy on that Dr. J-Michael Jordan level.... Nobody could match him.'"[42]
| 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 |
| Bold | Denotes career highs |
| 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 |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Hawkins' team won anABA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961–62 | Pittsburgh (ABL) | 78 | – | 42.9 | .509 | .167 | .790 | 13.3 | 2.3 | – | – | 27.5* |
| 1962–63 | Pittsburgh (ABL) | 16 | – | 41.8 | .491 | – | .770 | 12.8 | 2.6 | – | – | 27.9 |
| 1967–68† | Pittsburgh (ABA) | 70 | – | 44.9* | .519 | .222 | .764 | 13.5 | 4.6 | – | – | 26.8* |
| 1968–69 | Minnesota (ABA) | 47 | – | 39.4 | .511 | .136 | .767 | 11.4 | 3.9 | – | – | 30.2 |
| 1969–70 | Phoenix | 81 | – | 40.9 | .490 | – | .779 | 10.4 | 4.8 | – | – | 24.6 |
| 1970–71 | Phoenix | 71 | – | 37.5 | .434 | – | .816 | 9.1 | 4.5 | – | – | 20.9 |
| 1971–72 | Phoenix | 76 | – | 36.8 | .459 | – | .807 | 8.3 | 3.9 | – | – | 21.0 |
| 1972–73 | Phoenix | 75 | – | 36.9 | .479 | – | .797 | 8.5 | 4.1 | – | – | 16.1 |
| 1973–74 | Phoenix | 8 | – | 27.9 | .486 | – | .667 | 7.2 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 11.3 |
| 1973–74 | L.A. Lakers | 71 | – | 35.7 | .502 | – | .772 | 7.4 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 12.8 |
| 1974–75 | L.A. Lakers | 43 | – | 23.9 | .429 | – | .687 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .5 | 8.0 |
| 1975–76 | Atlanta | 74 | – | 25.8 | .447 | – | .712 | 6.0 | 2.9 | 1.1 | .6 | 8.2 |
| Career | 710 | – | 37.0 | .484 | .162 | .780 | 9.4 | 3.9 | .3 | .2 | 19.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Pittsburgh (ABL) | 1 | – | 53.0 | .609 | – | .929 | 17.0 | 4.0 | – | – | 41.0 |
| 1968† | Pittsburgh (ABA) | 14 | – | 44.0 | .594 | – | .729 | 12.3 | 4.6 | – | – | 29.9 |
| 1969 | Minnesota (ABA) | 7 | – | 45.7 | .378 | .500 | .645 | 12.3 | 3.9 | – | – | 24.9 |
| 1970 | Phoenix | 7 | – | 46.9 | .413 | – | .818 | 13.9 | 5.9 | – | – | 25.4 |
| 1974 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | – | 34.4 | .350 | – | .800 | 8.0 | 3.2 | 1.4 | .2 | 10.8 |
| Career | 34 | – | 43.8 | .473 | .500 | .743 | 12.1 | 4.5 | 1.4 | .2 | 25.5 | |
The Hawkins' story up to 1971 is documented in the biography,Foul by David Wolf,ISBN 978-0030860218[17]
In a skit forNBC'sSaturday Night Live in 1975, Hawkins played against singerPaul Simon in a one-on-one game accompanied by Simon's song "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard." 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).[43]
One of Hawkins' nephews is Jim McCoy Jr., who scored a school-record 2,374 career points for theUMass Minutemen basketball team from 1988 to 1992.[44][45]
He was the grandfather of Shawn Hawkins, who played professional basketball internationally and was a two-time scoring champion in Taiwan'sSuper Basketball League (SBL).[46]
Hawkins moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and worked in community relations for the Suns until his death from cancer on October 6, 2017, at the age of 75.[47][48][49]
Hawkins’ story is the topic of a song titled "The Legend of Connie Hawkins" byDispatch on their 2021 albumBreak Our Fall.
The Pittsburgh Pisces basketball team and the character Moses Guthrie, played by Julius Erving, in the movieThe Fish That Saved Pittsburgh drew inspiration from Hawkins and the Pittsburgh Pipers of the ABA.[50] Hawkins was in the movie.[51]
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