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 The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. He played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times. He won two

NBA championships The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is award ...

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 Contest The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star weekend. The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in ...

s 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 The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, form ...

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 Park Forest is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small southern portion in Will County, Illinois, Will County. The village was originally designed by Loebl Schlossman & Hackl, Loebl Schlossman & ...

, 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 ...

Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

from 1978 to 1982. He played under

Tex Winter Morice Fredrick "Tex" Winter (February 25, 1922 – October 10, 2018) was an American basketball coach and innovator of the triangle offense, an offensive system that became the dominant force in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and res ...

, who later coached him again as an assistant to

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

with the

. During his career in the

, 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 The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, 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 The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

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 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

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 Clear may refer to: * Transparency, the physical property of allowing light to pass through Arts and entertainment Music Groups * Clear (Christian band), an American CCM group from Cambridge, Minnesota * Clear (hardcore band), a vegan straight e ...

in the Italian league.

Three Point Contest

Hodges appeared in the first eight

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

s 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 Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first National Basketball Association (NBA) player to lead the league in three-point field goal percentage in two consecutive seasons, and ...

for most points scored in a single round at 25 (1986). He is tied with

Hubert Davis Hubert Ira Davis Jr. (born May 17, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching care ...

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 Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the Portland Pilots, University of Portland ...

. 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,

. 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

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 The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

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 Rich East High School or REHS was a public four-year high school located in Park Forest, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago in the United States. Rich East's campus serves the cities of Park Forest, Matteson, Olympia Fields, Chicago Heights ...

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 The dashiki (, ) is a colorful garment that covers the top half of the body, worn mostly in West Africa. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. A common form is a loose-fitting pullove ...

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 Jackie "Mac" MacMullan Boyle (born October 7, 1960) is a retired American freelance newspaper sportswriter and NBA columnist for the sports website ESPN.com. She retired from ESPN on August 31, 2021. MacMullan attended Westwood High School in ...

that covered "NBA Icons", MacMullan quoted Hodges as having asked Jordan to leave

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

and form a new athletic-wear company that would be staffed by minorities, and also that Hodges asked Jordan and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

to lead a boycott of the

1991 NBA Finals The 1991 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1990–91 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast by NBC after 17 years with CBS. The ...

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

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 The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

, 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

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

). 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