Former Chicago Bulls Guard Craig Hodges Was Dropped In 1992 For Suspicious Reasons

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During the 1991 NBA finals against the Lakers, Hodges approached Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to suggest a walkout. “I wanted to stand in solidarity with the black community and call out racism and inequity,” Hodges told Joravsky. “It would be a united front with the whole world watching.”

 But that’s not true. In 1989, the NBA allowed Rimas Kurtinaitis, a player for the Soviet national team, to participate in the three-point contest—and he never played in the NBA. Sam Smith wrote a column in the Tribune about the matter, blasting league officials for their hypocrisy. “The NBA sends out a lot of messages: Stay in School. Don’t Use Drugs,” Smith wrote. “Perhaps it’s time for one that goes something like this: ‘Keep your mouth shut and behave like people feel you should unless you can make them a lot of money or are too famous for them to silence.’ ”

 After Smith’s column was published, the NBA reversed its position and invited Hodges to participate. He finished third.

All’s well that ends well. Today Hodges coaches basketball at Rich East High School in Park Forest, and reflects on his time in the NBA with zero regrets.