Hersey Hawkins facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | September 29, 1966 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| High school | Westinghouse (Chicago, Illinois) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Bradley (1984–1988) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1988–2001 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1993 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1999 | Seattle SuperSonics | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 14,470 (14.7 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 3,554 (3.6 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Steals | 1,622 (1.7 spg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 12 years. Hersey was a talented shooting guard who played college basketball for the Bradley Braves. He then went on to play for four different NBA teams during his career.
Contents
College Basketball Journey
Hersey Hawkins played four seasons as a starting shooting guard for Bradley University. He started every one of the 125 games his team played. By the time he graduated in 1988, he had scored an amazing 3,008 points. This made him one of the top scorers in NCAA Division I history.
In the 1986–87 season, Hersey was one of the top five scorers in NCAA Division I. He averaged 27.2 points per game. The next season, 1987–88, was even more incredible. He averaged 36.3 points per game!
Before joining the NBA, Hersey was part of the last college USA men's national basketball team. This team played in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. They hoped to win gold but ended up with a bronze medal. This was partly because Hersey got injured during the semifinals. His injury meant the U.S. team missed his great outside shooting and scoring skills.
Hersey's NBA Career
Playing for the Philadelphia 76ers
Hersey Hawkins was picked 6th overall in the 1988 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. But his rights were quickly traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. On the 76ers, Hersey, nicknamed "Hawk," was the second main scorer after the famous Charles Barkley.
In 1989, Hersey was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. This means he was one of the best new players in the league. In 1991, he had a fantastic season, averaging 22.1 points per game. He was even chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Game that year. In one game against the Boston Celtics, he made 9 steals! He also scored a career-high 43 points in a game against the Orlando Magic.
Time with the Charlotte Hornets
In 1993, Hersey was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. He played two good seasons there. In 1994, he grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in a game against the Houston Rockets. When he first joined the Hornets, he wore jersey number 32. The next season, he changed his jersey number to 3.
Success with the Seattle SuperSonics
After his time in Charlotte, Hersey Hawkins was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. This happened in 1995. In 1996, he played a very important role on the Sonics team. He helped stars like Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, and Shawn Kemp. That season, the SuperSonics made it all the way to the NBA Finals! They played against Hersey's hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, but lost the series 2–4. In his last season with Seattle, Hersey won the NBA Sportsmanship Award. This award is given to players who show great sportsmanship on the court.
One Season with the Chicago Bulls
On August 12, 1999, Hersey was traded to the Chicago Bulls. However, his one year with the Bulls was tough because of injuries. He played in 61 games and averaged 7.9 points per game.
Returning to Charlotte and Retirement
In 2000, Hersey returned to the Charlotte Hornets as a free agent. This was his final season in the NBA. He retired in 2001, having scored a total of 14,470 points in his career.
Life After Playing Basketball
After retiring from playing, Hersey Hawkins stayed involved in basketball. In 2006, he became an assistant coach for the varsity basketball team at Estrella Foothills High School in Arizona. He also attended the Hoopfest event in 2009.
Currently, Hersey works for the Portland Trail Blazers as their Player Development Director. In this role, he helps players improve their skills.
Hersey is married and has three sons.
- His son, Corey, holds the Arizona high school record for most career points. Corey played college basketball at Arizona State and UC Davis. He later played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League.
- His son, Brandon, played college basketball at the University of the Pacific and Portland State.
- His son, Devon, played basketball at West Linn High School in Oregon and Clark College in Washington.
Hersey Hawkins is also a cousin of Flozell Adams, a former offensive lineman in the NFL.
See also
In Spanish: Hersey Hawkins para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career free throw percentage leaders
- List of National Basketball Association single-game steals leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career scoring leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders
