Connie Hawkins

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

After being blackballed by the NBA due to the 1961 college basketball gambling scandal, Hawkins found refuge with the Pittsburgh Rens of the ABL, where he was named league MVP in 1961–62. When the ABL folded, he played four years for the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the ABA's Pittsburgh Pipers in 1967. He won the ABA's first MVP award, averaging 26.8 points per game, and led the team to the ABA championship. While still with the Globetrotters in 1966, an antitrust lawsuit was filed on his behalf against the NBA. After a stellar second ABA season with the Minnesota Pipers, the lawsuit succeeded, and Hawkins reached a settlement allowing him to play in the NBA. He finally joined the Phoenix Suns as a 27-year-old rookie in the 1969–70 season, averaging 24.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, leading the Suns to their first NBA playoffs, and being named first-team All-NBA and an All-Star starter.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights hummed with a low vibration as Hawkins stepped onto the court, the silence of the crowd heavy with unspoken questions. He didn't need the roar; the ball felt like an extension of his will, spinning and soaring through the air with impossible grace. As he drove toward the rim, the world seemed to slow down, the years of banishment fading into a blur of pure motion. For those few seconds, the erasure was forgotten, and only the legend remained.

Reader's Guide

The story of Connie Hawkins is one of the most compelling narratives in Phoenix Suns lore, blending athletic brilliance with historical tragedy. Once a dominant college player, his potential to revolutionize professional basketball was stifled by gambling allegations that led to a lifetime ban from the NBA. For decades, he remained a ghost in the machine of sports history, his name absent from official records while rumors of his greatness persisted among fans and scouts. The Phoenix Suns eventually became the vehicle for his redemption, recognizing that true talent cannot be permanently silenced by scandal. His jersey retirement serves as a powerful symbol of forgiveness and acknowledgment within the franchise's culture. It reminds current generations that the history of the game is complex, filled with figures who were both flawed and magnificent. Hawkins' journey from banishment to honor remains a cornerstone of the Suns' identity.

Did You Know?

• Hawkins was named the ABL's Most Valuable Player in 1961–62, averaging 27.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
• He won the ABA's first MVP award in 1967, averaging 26.8 points per game and leading the Pittsburgh Pipers to the championship.
• Hawkins was 27 years old when he finally made his NBA debut as a rookie with the Phoenix Suns in the 1969–70 season.
• In his first NBA season, Hawkins was named first-team All-NBA and was selected as a starter in the 1970 NBA All-Star Game.
• Hawkins was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

The Playground Prodigy

Born in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood on July 17, 1942, Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins emerged as a basketball icon despite significant personal hardships. Raised by a mother working as a cook while battling glaucoma after his father abandoned the family at age ten, Hawkins found his sanctuary in sports. He attended Boys High School under coach Mickey Fisher, where he blossomed into a dominant force during his junior and senior years. Leading his team to back-to-back undefeated seasons and Public Schools Athletic League titles in 1959 and 1960, he averaged an impressive 25.5 points per game as a senior, once exploding for sixty points in a single contest. His high school dominance earned him Parade magazine All-American honors and a scholarship to the University of Iowa. Beyond the classroom, Hawkins became a legendary figure at Rucker Park, where he tested his skills against global giants like Wilt Chamberlain on the city's most famous outdoor courts.

The Scandal and Blacklist

Hawkins' promising collegiate career was abruptly derailed during his freshman year at Iowa due to an unjust association with a gambling scandal. Although he had borrowed money from Jack Molinas, a central figure in the controversy, Hawkins was never involved in point-shaving; indeed, NCAA rules rendered him ineligible for varsity play as a freshman, making such participation impossible. Despite maintaining his innocence and repaying the debt through his brother before the investigation intensified, he was denied legal counsel during questioning by New York detectives. The hysteria surrounding the 1961 college basketball gambling scandal led to his expulsion from Iowa without ever being arrested or indicted. Consequently, NBA Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy enforced a strict ban on players linked to such scandals, effectively blackballing Hawkins from both college and professional ranks. No team selected him in the 1964 draft, and he was formally banned from the league until 1966, forcing him into obscurity while his potential remained untapped.

Dominance in Alternative Leagues

Denied entry to the NBA, Hawkins found immediate success with the Pittsburgh Rens of the short-lived American Basketball League. In a single season before the league folded in 1962, he posted staggering averages of 27.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, earning both MVP honors and First Team All-League selection. His scoring prowess was highlighted by a record-breaking 54-point performance against the Cleveland Pipers. Following the ABL's collapse, Hawkins joined the Harlem Globetrotters for four years, where he refined his ball-handling skills through extensive barnstorming tours. This period of exhibition play proved crucial for his development before he finally secured a spot in the American Basketball Association with the Pittsburgh Pipers in 1967. There, he immediately made history by winning the league's inaugural MVP award, averaging 26.8 points and leading the team to an ABA championship title.

Redemption and Hall of Fame Legacy

A $6 million lawsuit against the NBA cleared Hawkins' name, proving no evidence linked him to gambling and allowing his return. His eleven-year professional run through three leagues earned six All-Star nods and First Team honors wherever he played. In 1992, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Hawkins, recognizing a career that overcame injustice to reshape the game.