From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960 in Park
Forest, Illinois) is a
retired American
professional basketball player who
played in the NBA for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage
three times.[1] He won
two NBA Championships
with the Chicago
Bulls, and along with Larry Bird, is only one of two players to
win three consecutive Three Point
Contests at the NBA All-Star Game, winning the competition
in 1990, 1991, and 1992.[2] 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.[3] He is
currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Playing
career
Hodges played college basketball at Long Beach
State from 1978 to 1982. He played under Tex Winter, who later coached him again as
an assistant to Phil
Jackson with the Chicago Bulls.[4]
During his career in the NBA, Hodges played for
the San Diego Clippers, Milwaukee
Bucks, Phoenix
Suns, and Chicago Bulls. He played for the Bulls from 1988 to 1992, and helped
win two NBA Championships in 1991 and 1992. He was
waived by the Bulls after the 1991-92 season.[5]
After sitting out the NBA season, he played a season with Clear
Cantù in the Italian
league.[6]
Three Point
Contest
Hodges appeared in the first eight NBA
All-Star Three Point
Contests from 1986 to 1993, and won the contest three times, in
1990, 1991, and 1992.[7] He
reached the final round on two other occasions, in 1986 when he
lost to Larry Bird,
and in 1989, when he lost to Dale Ellis.[8]
Hodges holds the Three Point Contest records for the most
consecutive shots made with 19 (1991) and is tied with Jason Kapono for most
points scored in a single round at 25 (1986). He is tied with Hubert 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 (1988).
Hodges has the second highest three-round combined score with 61
(1991).[9]
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 the 1992-93 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.[10] Hodges
was eliminated after the semifinal, finishing behind eventual
winner Mark Price and
Terry Porter.[11]
Career Three Point Contest record
- 1986: Runner-up
- 1987: First round
- 1988: First round
- 1989: Runner-up[8]
- 1990: Winner
- 1991: Winner
- 1992: Winner
- 1993: Semi-finalist[12]
Coaching
From 1994 to 1996, Hodges coached college basketball at Chicago State University, and
was fired in 1996 with a win-loss record of 8-51 over two-plus
seasons.[13]
In September 2005, Hodges joined the Los Angeles
Lakers as a special assistant coach under his former Bulls
coach, Phil
Jackson. He works with individual players on offensive skills,
primarily shooting.[14]
Political
activism
When the Chicago
Bulls visited the White House after winning the 1992 NBA
Championship, Hodges dressed in a dashiki and delivered a hand-written letter
addressed to then President George H. W. Bush, expressing his
discontent at the administration's treatment of the poor and
minorities.[15]
Hodges also criticized his Bulls teammate Michael 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.[16]
In 1996, Hodges filed a $40 million lawsuit against the NBA and its then 29
teams, claiming they blackballed him for his association with Louis Farrakhan
and criticism of "African-American professional athletes who failed
to use their considerable wealth and influence to assist the poor
and disenfranchised."[13]
After he was waived by the Bulls in 1992, he did not receive an
offer or a tryout from a single NBA team, even though he was only
32 years old and still able to contribute to contenders. The
lawsuit claimed that Bulls assistant coach Jim Cleamons told him that the team was
troubled by his criticism of players' lack of involvement in
inner-city communities.[15]
The suit also claimed Billy McKinney, the
director of player personnel for the Seattle 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 coach Phil
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."[13]
Personal
Hodges is the father of Jibril Hodges, who also played at Long Beach State and is today playing for
USC Heidelberg
in Germany's second league.[17]
References
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