This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 9/9/2007.
Connie Hawkins' career holds as much mystique as that of any other NBA Hall of Famer. A man of remarkable talent who played much of his career in the shadows, he didn't put up legendary numbers during his seven years in the NBA: only 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Nevertheless, Hawkins was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1992, an acknowledgment that he had been unjustly denied the opportunity to show his talent in his most productive years, and that most basketball fans had likewise been denied the opportunity to see the best that this innovative player had to offer. Most of what Connie Hawkins did was never caught on film. A Bedford-Stuyvesant (Brooklyn) native, Hawkins was a New York playground legend who was exiled for years to exhibitions with obscure teams in half-filled arenas. Accounts of his finest moments circulated by word of mouth, and he never lost his hold on the imaginations of those fans who did catch him in his prime. Praised by his contemporaries as perhaps the most talented forward ever to play the game, before the time of Julius Erving and Larry Bird, Hawkins was known as one of the first players capable of swooping, soaring flights to the hoop, followed by acrobatic, throw-down dunks. He initially toured the world with the Harlem Globetrotters, then, at age 19, he played for the Pittsburgh Rens of the ABL and was named the league's MVP. The ABL folded during its second season, and Hawkins returned to the Globetrotters for two years. He joined the Pittsburgh Pipers in the inaugural 1967-1968 season of the ABA, leading the team to a 54-24 regular-season record and the ABA championship. That year, Hawkins led the ABA in scoring and won both the ABA's regular-season and playoff MVP awards. With Hawkins' star power secured in the ABA, Hawkins then played seven additional seasons in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks. He played in four NBA All-Star Games and was named to the All-NBA First Team in the 1969-1970 season. His No. 42 jersey was retired by the Suns. In the back collar of this purple nylon jacket is the "Wilson" manufacturer's tag. Across the front of the jacket is "RENAISSANCE" in white tackle twill. On the left sleeve is the player number "42" in white tackle twill. On the back of the jacket is the player name "HAWKINS" in white tackle twill on a purple nameplate which is snapped onto the back of the jacket. There are seven purple snaps going down the front of this jacket. The jacket shows wear and appears to have no alterations of any kind. The rarity of this piece is exceeded only by its beauty and significance.