Connie Hawkins Basketball Card

This Connie Hawkins basketball card is number 109 in a series of 175 that was manufactured by the Topps Company Inc. for the 1970-1971 National Basketball Association season. The card is longer than standard cards, measuring 2½ inches by 4 ¾ inches. Cards that were numbered 106-115 featured the All-Stars from the previous season. The front of the card features a posed picture of the Phoenix Suns forward surrounded by text noting his selection as a Western Conference All-Star. The card’s reverse features an in game action photo of Hawkins rebounding the ball, with a faux newspaper headline proclaiming “Hawkins Fights For Rebound Under Boards” below the image.

Because of an alleged connection to a point shaving scandal, Hawkins was expelled from Iowa and blacklisted from the NBA in 1961. After one year in the now-defunct American Basketball League, Hawkins played with the Harlem Globetrotters for three years. Hawkins then became a star and MVP in the newly formed ABA, and sued the NBA to allow him to play. The NBA settled and awarded his right to the Phoenix Suns in 1969. He promptly became an All-Star in the NBA, making the team four times from 1969-1973. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.