Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960)
''basketball-reference.com''. Retrieved March 19, 2011 is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and former head coach of the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks play their home games at Westchester County Center in White Plains, N ...

of the NBA Development League. He played in the NBA for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times. He won two NBA championships with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

and, along with

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

, 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. 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. He was later a head coach at

Chicago State University Chicago State University (CSU) is a Historically black colleges and universities, predominantly black (PBI) public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It includes an honors program for undergraduates and offers bachelor's and master ...

, an assistant coach for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

and head coach of the Halifax Rainmen of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franchis ...

Playing career

Born in Park Forest, Illinois, Hodges played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

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

. During his career in the NBA, Hodges played for the San Diego Clippers,

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, Phoenix Suns, and Chicago Bulls. On December 12, 1985, Hodges led the Bucks in scoring with a career high 29 points, including a 27-foot three-point jump shot to force the game into overtime, in a 110–108 loss to the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. That postseason, Hodges played a key role in the Bucks advancing past the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.3 steals per game during the seven-game series, which included 24 points and the game-winning basket in game seven. The following round, in a pattern familiar for the 1980s Bucks, the team would ultimately fall short of reaching the NBA Finals, being eliminated by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. Hodges then played for the Bulls from 1988 to

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, and helped them win two

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

s in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and

. He was waived by the Bulls after the 1991–92 season. After sitting out the NBA season, he played a season with Clear Cantù in the Italian league.

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. He reached the final round on two other occasions, in 1986 when he lost to

, and in 1989, when he lost to Dale Ellis. 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). 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. Hodges wore a generic "NBA" jersey in the contest. Hodges was eliminated after the semifinal, finishing behind eventual winner

Mark Price William Mark Price (born February 15, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. The last coaching job he held was as head coach of the Charlotte 49ers men's basketball, Charlotte 49ers. As a four-time NBA All-Star and ...

and Terry Porter. Career Three Point Contest record *1986: Runner-up *1987: First round *1988: First round *1989: Runner-up *1990: Winner *1991: Winner *1992: Winner *1993: Semi-finalist

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, 76 , , 48 , , 26.6 , , .452 , , .222 , , .723 , , 1.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 28 , , 20.7 , , .450 , , .217 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 63 , , 30.4 , , .490 , , .348 , , .815 , , 2.3 , , 4.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 10.6 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 66 , , 66 , , 26.3 , , .500 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .451* , , .872 , , 1.8 , , 3.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.0 , , 10.8 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 43 , , 27.5 , , .462 , , .373 , , .891 , , 1.8 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 10.8 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 43 , , 0 , , 22.9 , , .449 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .466* , , .821 , , 1.1 , , 2.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" , Phoenix , 23 , , 0 , , 20.1 , , .489 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .544* , , .844 , , 1.4 , , 1.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 10.1 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" , Phoenix , 10 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .444 , , .333 , , .750 , , 0.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 3.9 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 49 , , 6 , , 22.7 , , .475 , , .423 , , .849 , , 1.7 , , 2.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 63 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .438 , , .481 , , .909 , , 0.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align;background:#afe6ba;" , 1990–91† , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .424 , , .383 , , .963 , , 0.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align;background:#afe6ba;" , 1991–92† , align="left" ,

, 56 , , 2 , , 9.9 , , .384 , , .375 , , .941 , , 0.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 695 , , 256 , , 21.7 , , .461 , , .400 , , .828 , , 1.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 8.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 8 , , 27.0 , , .364 , , .174 , , .800 , , 1.6 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 14 , , 14 , , 32.9 , , .510 , , .452 , , .794 , , 1.8 , , 4.5 , , 2.3 , , 0.1 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 18.8 , , .519 , , .294 , , .909 , , 1.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 17* , , 17 , , 32.6 , , .412 , , .398 , , .714 , , 1.5 , , 3.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 1 , , 15.9 , , .378 , , .293 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align;background:#afe6ba;" , 1990–91† , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .423 , , .393 , , .750 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align;background:#afe6ba;" , 1991–92† , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .390 , , .450 , , .500 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 101 , , 40 , , 20.4 , , .436 , , .363 , , .784 , , 1.1 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 7.2

Coaching career

From 1994 to 1996, Hodges coached

, and was fired in 1996 with a win–loss record of 8–51 over two-plus seasons. In September 2005, Hodges joined the

as a special assistant coach under his former Bulls coach, Phil Jackson. He worked with individual players on offensive skills, primarily shooting. Jackson retired after the 2010–11 season, and Hodges' contract with the Lakers expired as well. Hodges also coached the Halifax Rainmen in the Canadian Basketball League for half a season, 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," After serving as an assistant coach for the

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

Political activism

When the

visited the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

after winning the 1991 NBA Championship, Hodges dressed in a dashiki and delivered a hand-written letter addressed to then President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, expressing his discontent at the administration's treatment of the poor and minorities. The book ''The Jordan Rules'' related how Hodges had opposed the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

but mainly discussed his issues with teammates and coaches who mostly disagreed with him but didn't shun him for his views. Hodges also criticized his Bulls teammate

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

for not using his fame to draw attention to social and political issues, and said Jordan was "bailing out" for not being politically outspoken. In a 2022 podcast series on The Ringer hosted by Jackie MacMullan that covered "NBA Icons", MacMullan quoted Hodges as having asked Jordan to leave Nike and form a new athletic-wear company that would be staffed by minorities, and also that Hodges asked Jordan and Magic Johnson to lead a boycott of the 1991 NBA Finals to protest the beating of

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...

by the LAPD. Jordan ignored the former call and bluntly told Hodges (along with Magic) that the boycott idea was a non-starter. 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 Louis Farrakhan (; born Louis Eugene Walcott; May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Black nationalism, black nationalist organization. Farrakhan is notable for his leadership of the 1995 Million M ...

and criticism of "African-American professional athletes who failed to use their considerable wealth and influence to assist the poor and disenfranchised." 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. 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."

In 2014, Hodges was named to a team assembled by

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

as part of his "basketball diplomacy" effort in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

with the job of playing an exhibition match against the North Korea men's national basketball team to celebrate the birthday of

Kim Jong-Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

. He failed to make it into the country as his flight from Canada to Beijing was delayed, causing him to miss the connecting flight to Pyongyang and prompting the Chinese government to send him immediately back to Canada. Hodges is the father of Jamaal, Noah (who is an actor, golfer and musician) and Jibril (who also played at Long Beach State). at nba.com

Notes

References

External links

Craig Hodges statistics
at Basketball-reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Craig 1960 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Sweden American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Chicago Chicago Bulls players Chicago State Cougars men's basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Jämtland Basket players Long Beach State Beach men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Milwaukee Bucks players Pallacanestro Cantù players People from Park Forest, Illinois Phoenix Suns players Rockford Lightning players San Diego Clippers draft picks San Diego Clippers players Shooting guards United States Basketball League players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Halifax Rainmen coaches