Robert Hawkins (basketball)

Robert Hawkins (June 30, 1954 – November 28, 1993), nicknamed "Bubbles", was an American professional basketball player.[1][2] He was drafted 51st overall in the 1975 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Hawkins played for four teams during four seasons in the National Basketball Association, averaging 12.7 points per game, 1.5 assists per game and 2.3 rebounds per game.[3]

Robert Hawkins
Personal information
Born(1954-06-30)June 30, 1954
Detroit, Michigan
DiedNovember 28, 1993(1993-11-28) (aged 39)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolPershing (Detroit, Michigan)
CollegeIllinois State (1973–1975)
NBA draft1975 / Round: 3 / Pick: 51st overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career1975–1979
PositionShooting guard
Number12, 11
Career history
1975–1976Golden State Warriors
1976–1978New York/New Jersey Nets
1978–1979Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Professional career

Hawkins was drafted in the third round, 51st overall, by the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 NBA draft. He appeared in 32 games for the Warriors in his rookie season, averaging 3.9 points and 0.9 rebounds in only 4.8 minutes per game.[4] He was released by the Warriors the day before the 1976-77 season began, and after being unable to land a roster spot with another team, was prepared to look for a job in a different industry. In December he was contacted by the New York Nets, in the middle of a disastrous first season in the NBA following the ABA–NBA merger.[5] The Nets had been left short at the guard position following the sale of superstar Julius Erving due to financial difficulties. Hawkins quickly became the closest thing the Nets had to a star, averaging 19.3 points per game and leading Nets head coach Kevin Loughery to remark "All I know is that Bubbles Hawkins has become a hero just when we needed one."[6] Loughery's high opinion of Hawkins would not extended to the 1977-78 season, with the Nets now playing in New Jersey. Hawkins would play in only 15 games for the Nets that season, before being released after a series of conflicts with the coach.[7] Hawkins would get one more chance in the NBA, signing before the 1978-79 season with the Detroit Pistons, but only appeared in four of the team's first nine games before again being released.

Death

On November 28, 1993, Hawkins was found shot to death in what police said was a suspected crack house.[8]

The police said that no arrests had been made yet in the death of Robert (Bubbles) Hawkins, a former Detroit Pershing schoolboy basketball star who played for the New York and New Jersey Nets in the National Basketball Association.

References
  1. Conklin, Mike (December 3, 1993). "The Sad Story Of Jim Bradley And Bubbles Hawkins". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  2. "With Pearl Washington death, another Nets player dies young". NetsDaily. April 21, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  3. "Robert Hawkins NBA statistics".
  4. Basketball Reference Bubbles Hawkins
  5. Ray Frager (1 September 2011). New Jersey Nets. ABDO Publishing Company. pp. 27–. ISBN 978-1-61787-983-8.
  6. Hannon, Kent (March 7, 1977) Nets Sink, Bubbles Rises Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  7. "Nets Release Hawkins". The New York Times. United Press International. 1977-11-29. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  8. "Bubbles Hawkins Is Shot to Death". The New York Times. December 2, 1993. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
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