Craig Hodges

Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960)[1] is an American retired professional basketball player and former head coach of the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League. He played in the NBA for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times.[2] He won two NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, and along with Larry Bird, is one of only two players to win three consecutive Three Point Contests at the National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend, winning the competition in 1990, 1991, and 1992.[3] 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.[4] He was later a head coach at Chicago State University, an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach of the Halifax Rainmen of the National Basketball League of Canada.[5]

For the rugby league coach, see Craig Hodges (rugby league).
Craig Hodges
Personal information
Born (1960-06-27) June 27, 1960
Park Forest, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolRich East (Park Forest, Illinois)
CollegeLong Beach State (1978–1982)
NBA draft1982 / Round: 3 / Pick: 48th overall
Selected by the San Diego Clippers
Playing career1982–1998
PositionShooting guard
Number24, 15, 25, 14
Coaching career1994–present
Career history
As player:
1982–1984San Diego Clippers
1984–1988Milwaukee Bucks
1988Phoenix Suns[note 1]
1988–1992Chicago Bulls
1993Shampoo Clear Cantù
1994–1995Galatasaray
1995–1996Rockford Lightning
1997–1998Jämtland Ambassadors Östersund
As coach:
1994–1996Chicago State
2005–2011Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
2013–2014Halifax Rainmen
2014–2015Westchester Knicks (assistant)
2015Westchester Knicks (interim HC)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points5,940 (8.5 ppg)
Rebounds937 (1.3 rpg)
Assists1,769 (2.5 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Playing career

Born in Park Forest, Illinois, 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.[6]

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 them win two NBA Championships in 1991 and 1992. He was waived by the Bulls after the 1991–92 season.[7]

After sitting out the NBA season, he played a season with Clear Cantù in the Italian league.[8]

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.[3] 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.[9]

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 (1989). Hodges has the second highest three-round combined score with 61 (1991).[4]

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 wore a generic "NBA" jersey in the contest. 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[9]
  • 1990: Winner
  • 1991: Winner
  • 1992: Winner
  • 1993: Semi-finalist[12]

Coaching career

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 worked with individual players on offensive skills, primarily shooting.[14] Jackson retired after the 2010–11 season, and Hodges' contract with the Lakers expired as well.[15] Hodges also coached the Halifax Rainmen in the Canadian Basketball League for half a season,[16] and during his time as head coach of the Rainmen, was invited by Dennis Rodman to play in North Korea, but he was denied entry into that country, citing "I was looking forward to the opportunity of going and helping Dennis, as far as the basketball end of things", and saying "I'm for human rights, and so going to North Korea wasn't a matter of me going to rub political shoulders with the man that's in power. It was as a goodwill gesture, as a brotherhood — a brotherhood of sport,"[17]

After serving as an assistant coach for the Westchester Knicks during the 2014–15 D-League season, he was named the team's interim coach for the final four games of the season on March 30, 2015 after head coach Kevin Whitted was fired.[18]

Hodges is currently head coach of Rich East High School in his hometown of Park Forest, Illinois.

Political activism
External video
Book Discussion on Long Shot, Book Talk, C-Span

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.[19]

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.[20]

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.[19] 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]

In 2014, Hodges was named to a team assembled by Dennis Rodman as part of his "basketball diplomacy" effort in North Korea with the job of playing an exhibition match against the North Korean Senior National Team to celebrate the birthday of Kim Jong-Un.[21] He failed to actually make it into the country as his flight from Canada to Beijing was delayed, causing him to miss the connecting flight to Pyonyang and prompting the Chinese government to send him immediately back to Canada.[22]

Hodges is the father of Jibril Hodges, who also played at Long Beach State.[23]

Notes
  1. Hodges played in parts of two seasons in Phoenix, but only during the 1988 calendar year. He was traded from Milwaukee on February 25, 1988, during the 1987–88 season, and traded to Chicago on December 14, 1988, during the 1988–89 season.[1]

References
  1. Craig Hodges profile page, basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2011
  2. Berkow, Ira (1996-02-18). "BASKETBALL;Still Searching For the Truth". The New York Times.
  3. "Larry Bird bio". NBA.com.
  4. "Shootout Records". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  5. "Rainmen name Craig Hodges head coach". thechronicleherald.ca.
  6. "49ers Sign Jibril Hodges". www.LongBeachState.com. 2002-05-14. Archived from the original on 2006-11-12.
  7. "Chicago Bulls All-Time Transactions". Bulls.com.
  8. "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Hodges Going to Play in Italy". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1993-08-24.
  9. "Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 1986–1989". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  10. "Craig Hodges added to three-point field – Hodges will compete in NBA three-point shooting contest despite his not being on any NBA team". Jet. February 15, 1993.
  11. Freeman, Mike (February 21, 1993). "PRO BASKETBALL; Youth Movement Gets Prime-Time Hang Time In Slam-Dunk Contest". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  12. "Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 1990–1999". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  13. Berkow, Ira (1996-12-25). "The Case Of Hodges Vs. the N.B.A." The New York Times.
  14. "Hornets land new home(s) for season". Deseret Morning News. Associated Press. 2005-09-22.
  15. McMenamin, Dave (June 29, 2011). "Lakers hire John Kuester". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011.
  16. ""Craig Hodges resigns as Halifax Rainmen head coach, 'Pep' Claros back in fold"". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
  17. "Rainmen coach denied entry into North Korea before controversial game"
  18. Head Coach Kevin Whitted Relieved of Duties
  19. Bondy, Flip (1996-12-11). "HODGES STILL FIGHTS SYSTEM". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2009-02-17.
  20. Rhoden, William C. (1992-06-05). "BASKETBALL; Hodges Criticizes Jordan For His Silence on Issues". The New York Times.
  21. "Dennis Rodman names a team for North Korea exhibition". Sports Illustrated. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  22. "Ex-NBA player seeks payment for aborted trip with Dennis Rodman". The Globe and Mail. January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  23. "Jibril Hodges PDF profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2008-12-19. at nba.com (106 KiB)
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