Tuesday, St. Andrew’s Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn was renamed in honor of NBA Hall of Famer, Connie Hawkins.
Connie Hawkins was an unusually talented athlete during his era and survived the bruising streets of Brooklyn, while navigating the unjust and racial system of the 1960’s. He joined the NBA at age 28 showcasing his talents and innovative style for the world earning him induction into the NBA Hall of Fame.
His talent and charismatic style also led him to a guest appearance on NBC Saturday Night Live. During a recent NBA playoff game, the dominant of Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks has been compared to Connie Hawkins style of play in the 70’s.
September 13-14, 2019, the NBA, ABA, Pittsburgh Piper, Harlem Globetrotters Players, the Hawkins family, Boys & Girls High School, CC4Change Sports, City Councilman Robert Cornegy and the community will host three events throughout Brooklyn to honor the life, legacy and contributions of the NBA Hall of Famer.
The three events include the renaming of St. Andrew’s playground basketball courts in his honor, an art show led by Andrew Nichols along with a community barbeque will be held at Hawkins’ Alma Mater Boys & Girls High School.
St Andrew’s Park is located on Kingston and Atlantic Ave in the Bedford Stuyvestant section of Brooklyn and is considered one of the oldest and more famous parks in the borough. There will be an NBA, ABA Basketball Legends Art Show and BBQ honoring Hawkins.
This is a unique opportunity for people to go back to the good old days of Brooklyn basketball and for the younger fans to learn about basketball history. Art Curator, Andrew Nichols will reconstruct the history of basketball in Brooklyn from 1906 up until the present day, Brooklyn Nets.
There will be a focus on Connie Hawkins and other NYC legends. Sharing the platform is curator Rich Mason with The Thor David Photography collection and Claude Johnson who in 2012 was commissioned by the Brooklyn Nets to decorate the main concourse of the Nets Arena.
Join the Hawkins family, current and past NBA players, the ABA, Boys & Girls HS, Concerned Community 4 Change Sports, City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. and the basketball community across the nation to celebrate the man who modernized the game.
