A Tribute to the Late Connie Hawkins
It is with teary eyes and a heavy heart I am writing this article. Connie Hawkins, a basketball legend and an even better person, has passed away at the age of 75.
A motto to live by – You take what life gives you, fight through adversity to be one of the best at what you do and remain humble throughout.
Connie, in my opinion, could not have been a better example of this.
Growing up in New York, his basketball skills quickly made him like a mythical creature out of a story book.
He could dunk at 11-years-old. Not even a teenager, he would play against full grown men – and win. Soaring and swooping his way into a playground legend and taking on the nickname “Hawk.”
Lou Carnesecca, one of the great New York City basketball curators, who knew a tall tale when he heard it, had to see all the noise for himself. He was not disappointed and was floored the first time he saw Hawkins play.
As the years went on, he continued to hone his craft and improve by leaps and bounds led by his gracefulness and large hands. Any basketball fan knows Wilt Chamberlain, the player behind the individual 100 point game. The two were friends and would face each other on the playground courts. Connie was one of the few that Wilt fully admitted gave him fits and frustrated him when they competed.
That’s how good “Hawk” was. The future was so bright for him even at such a young age.
Hawkins befriended a man by the name of Jack Molinas, a relationship that drove Connie’s career downhill as Molinas was heavily involved in gambling and got caught up in a point shaving scandal. Even though Connie was never proven to have shaved a single point nor own even the smallest part in the crime, this kept him off the court in college and led to a ban from the NBA throughout the early years of his prime.
Phoenix Suns
“It was totally devastating. I was innocent but no one would listen to me. I came from a poor family and none of us even thought about getting a lawyer to fight the ban,” he said when asked about it.
However, he kept playing where he could, touring the world with the Harlem Globetrotters and playing two seasons in the ABA where he averaged 28.2 points and 12.6 rebounds, and was named MVP after leading the Pittsburgh Pipers to a title.
In 1969, then NBA Commisioner J. Walter Kennedy, finally lifted the ban. The Phoenix Suns lost a coin flip for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earlier in the summer but won a second coin flip with the Seattle Super Sonics later leading to an amazing consolation prize when they gained the ability to select Connie Hawkins second overall in 1969.
As a 27-year-old “rookie,” he averaged 24.6 points 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists, made the first of four consecutive NBA All-Star teams, and finished fifth in MVP voting.
Not even gravity could cover him.
He averaged 20.5 points 9 rebounds and 4.3 assists in five seasons as a Sun and his #42 would eventually be retired and lifted up into the franchise’s Ring of Honor. Hawk also entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
This was all without being able to play in the NBA through possibly his best years and it must be left up to the mind how much he could have done if able to rightfully play in the Association through that time as well. However, it is not a stretch to say he was still one of the greatest to ever play.
In the 90s, Connie became a community ambassador for Phoenix and did so for many years. Sadly, his health took a frail turn and he was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago.
During Al McCoy’s Ring of Honor speech he urged fans if they prayed to please say a prayer for Connie, one of Al’s best friends. I was there that evening and prayed at that moment as well as when I got home that night. If Al had made that part of his big moment, it showed how much it was really needed.
There was a time several years ago I had the honor of meeting the Hawk and seeing how personable and humble the gentleman really was. Some of these modern day stars seem too busy or too good for moments with fans. It was not that way at all with him. He made you feel at ease and when he was with you, it truly felt that for just that moment the rest of the world didn’t matter. I am very thankful for that blessing and he would always end his encounters with “Bless You,” even though the blessing was all yours.
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After his death, Jerry Colangelo, who was the Suns’ General Manager during Hawkins’ career stated a legend was lost. I couldn’t agree more.
The Suns issued a statement saying “Connie Hawkins remains to this day an icon of the sport and one of basketball’s greatest innovators.” Very true. He paved the high flying way for the likes of Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Michael Jordan.
Last night, Connie soared through the stars and dunked on the moon on his way to paradise. He will truly be remembered and missed.