Kings Of Yesterday Volume One: The Hawk
The goal of the Kings of Yesterday series is to highlight the careers of the forgotten stars. Talented players and coaches who left their marks on the field, court, or ice, whose stories have been lost or forgotten over the years.
We begin with NBA Hall of Fame forward/center Cornelius Lance “Connie” Hawkins, known simply as “The Hawk.”
While Hawkins played just seven NBA seasons, averaging a pedestrian 16.5 points and eight rebounds per game, his accomplishments in the American Basketball League and American Basketball Association (multiple MVPs and championship titles) more than solidified his place among the all-time greats.
Early Life
Hawkins’ story began in 1942. The definition of a natural-born talent, he had developed the ability to dunk by age 11. Because of this, Hawkins became something of a bonafide blacktop legend in his Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, dazzling opponents, teammates and spectators alike with his incredible skills.
Though Hawkins gained notoriety for his playground conquests, he would not appear on the national radar until he entered high school. He played sparingly during his first two seasons up until his senior year when he was finally given the opportunity to start, and he did not disappoint. From 1959 to 1960, he led Boys High School to consecutive undefeated seasons, and two Public Schools Athletic League titles, averaging 25.5 points per game in his senior year.
The University of Iowa lured the one-of-a-kind forward to its program by offering him, what he would later say was, “the most amount of money,” but the Hawk was never afforded the opportunity to suit up for the Hawkeyes.
Controversy
Prior to his first collegiate game, Hawkins became entrapped in a gambling and point-shaving scandal, later to be known as the 1961 College Basketball Gambling Scandal. At the center of the scandal was New York attorney Jack Molinas.
Molinas had provided Hawkins with $200 for school expenses, which was paid back by Hawkins’ brother Fred prior to the scandal breaking. Both Molinas and Hawkins contended that Hawkins had never been told to throw games and had no knowledge of point-shaving. Though the young man would never be indicted, nor directly implicated in the scandal, the mere association of his name with Molinas was enough for University of Iowa to expel him. No other NCAA or NAIA schools would even attempt to offer Hawkins a scholarship.
Effectively blackballed from college basketball, Hawkins turned his attention to the NBA. Commissioner James Walt Kennedy refused Hawkins’ pursuit, turning him away from the league and warning teams that he would not approve a contract for the young forward. Though Hawkins was not deterred by Kennedy’s proclamation, he knew he still needed a way to showcase his skills to prospective teams.
American Basketball League
In 1961, Hawkins signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Rens of the ABL. In his first season with the Rens, Hawkins, who would be the league’s first and only MVP, averaged 27.5 points per game, shooting 51% from the field (the ABL was the first basketball league with a 3-point line; Hawkins was one of six from beyond the arc). During his second season with the Rens, the ABL folded, leaving the reining MVP unemployed.
Harlem Globetrotters
In 1963, Hawkins found work with the Harlem Globetrotters, traveling around the world and performing with the team through 1966.
Hawkins’ collegiate class became eligible for the NBA draft in 1964. He would declare, but go undrafted due to the lingering effects of the scandal. He redeclared for the 1965 draft to no avail, as he went undrafted once again.
Commissioner Kennedy formally banned Hawkins from the NBA in 1966. The ban prompted Hawkins to file a $6 million lawsuit against the NBA, claiming he had been blackballed from the league without any physical evidence that he had knowingly participated in any point-shaving or gambling during his high school career.
Hawkins’ lawyers suggested that the highly skilled athlete needed to play against a higher level of competition than he faced with the Globetrotters. Luckily for Hawkins, a new opportunity presented itself with in the form of the ABA.
American Basketball Association
Hawkins made a return to Pittsburgh in 1967, this time joining the Pittsburgh Pipers. In the inaugural ABA season, he averaged 26.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in 70 games. Hawkins, who would be awarded both the regular season and playoff MVP awards, led the league in scoring, and his team to a 54-24 record and to a 1968 ABA championship victory.
The Pipers moved to Minnesota prior to the 1968-69 season. In an injury-shortened second season, Hawkins averaged 30.2 points and 11.4 rebounds in 47 games. The team made the playoffs with a record of 36-42, but failed to make it through the first-round, due to injuries.
The Pipers headed back to Pittsburgh that offseason, but Hawkins was on his way to the desert. The NBA had finally reached a settlement with the 25-year-old, sending his rights to the Phoenix Suns and giving him his first taste of the league.
National Basketball Association
An expansion team, the Suns franchise was entering its second season when Hawkins joined in 1969. In the team’s first season, the Suns won just 16 of 82 games, securing a last-place finish. The Suns biggest loss, however, was off the court in the form of a coin toss to determine the first overall pick in the 1969 NBA draft. The Suns lost the flip and the first pick to, fellow expansion franchise, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks would use that pick on University of California, Los Angeles center Lew Alcindor (known later as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
Over the course of his storied career, Abdul-Jabbar would rack up six championship victories and six regular season MVP awards, among many more honors. He would eventually become the all-time leading scorer (a record that stands to this very day) and secure his spot in the NBA Hall of Fame.
With the second pick, the Suns would end up passing on future All-Stars Butch Beard, Norm Van Lier, Bob Dandridge, and Steve Mix, as well as future Hall-of-Famer Jo Jo White, instead drafting University of Florida center Neal Walk. Walk would last just five seasons with the Suns, failing to make a real impact.
The 1969-1970 season went much better for the Suns. Hawkins helped lead the team to a 39-43 record and the franchise’s first playoff berth. The Suns would fall to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, but not before pushing a Lakers team that featured future Hall of Famers Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain to seven games. With career highs of 24.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, Hawkins was selected to the first of his four career All-Star games.
Hawkins’ stats faced a steady decline over the next four years and, eight games into the 1973-74 season, Hawkins was sent to the Lakers in exchange for small forward Keith Erickson and a second-round pick in the 1974 draft.
Hawkins lasted just two seasons with the Lakers, watching his points per game drop to single digits before joining the Atlanta Hawks in 1975. In his final NBA season, the Hawk averaged 8.2 points and six rebounds in 74 appearances.
Legacy
Connie Hawkins is the ultimate journeyman. From the playgrounds of Brooklyn to the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts and every stop in between.
The Hawk’s professional career spanned multiple leagues with performances around the globe for over 16 years. He would have to wait another 16 years before his induction into the Hall of Fame in January of 1992.
