Bob Hopkins
Personal information
Born(1934-11-03)November 3, 1934
Jonesboro, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedMay 15, 2015(2015-05-15) (aged 80)
Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolJackson (Jonesboro, Louisiana)
CollegeGrambling State (1952–1956)
NBA draft1956: 10th round, 74th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career1956–1962
PositionPower forward / center
Number9
Coaching career1964–1991
Career history
As player:
1956–1960Syracuse Nationals
1960–1962Philadelphia Tapers
As coach:
1964–1965Prairie View A&M
1966–1969Alcorn State
1969–1974Xavier (Louisiana)
1974–1977Seattle SuperSonics (assistant)
1977Seattle SuperSonics
1978–1979New York Knicks (assistant)
1984–1986Southern
1986–1989Grambling State
1990–1991Maryland Eastern Shore
Career NBA statistics
Points2,237 (8.2 ppg)
Rebounds1,526 (5.6 rpg)
Assists189 (0.7 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2013

Robert M. Hopkins (November 3, 1934 – May 15, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach.

Biography

A native of Jonesboro, La., Hopkins participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track (He was invited to participate in the 1956 Olympic Games as a broad jumper but declined in order to sign with the Syracuse Nationals.) Over the course of his career he achieved all-state honors in football (twice). basketball (twice) and baseball (four times). He is most noted for playing college basketball at Grambling State University, where he scored 3,759 points (averaging 29.8 points per game for his career). He was the first Grambling player to make an all-American basketball team and the school's first professional player. Hopkins was an all-conference selection at Grambling all four years and made all-American three times.[1] Over the course of his career he held the NAIA records for most career points (3,759), field goals made (1,403), free throws made (953), and rebounds (12,191).[1] Hopkins was college basketball's all-time leading scorer until 1972 when Travis Grant of Kentucky State University set the new record of 4,045 points. Hopkins then played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for four seasons (1956–1960) with the Syracuse Nationals and then the Philadelphia Tapers (1960–1962), but his career was eventually cut short due to a leg injury.[2]

In his first venture as head coach (1965–66) at Prairie View College, Hopkins' squad posted a 16–10 record and a second-place finish in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SAC).[1] Moving next to Alcorn A&M (State) in Mississippi in 1966, Hopkins coached the Braves to three straight SAC championships, obtaining Coach of the Year honors following each season. His first two Alcorn teams participated in the national tournament at Kansas City, Mo. advancing to the second and third rounds respectively. In his third year, his team sported a 27–0 record before they were defeated in the finals of the NCAA College Division by Kentucky Wesleyan.[1] He was voted regional Coach of the Year during his last two years at Alcorn by the NAIA.[2]

Hopkins next served as the head coach for the Xavier University of Louisiana Gold Rush from 1969 to 1974, coaching future ABA and NBA stars Bruce Seals and "Slick" Watts. During his tenure, coach Hopkins led the team to 89 wins and 47 losses, four winning seasons, and two NAIA District 30 Championships, leading Xavier to the national NAIA Tournament in Kansas City for two consecutive years (1972 and 1973). He would next serve on Bill Russell's coaching staff with the Seattle SuperSonics and replaced Russell, his cousin, after the 1976–77 season. Hopkins posted a 5–17 record during the 1977–78 season before being fired; he was replaced by Lenny Wilkens, who led the Sonics to the NBA Finals that season and the following, winning the NBA championship in 1979.

Hopkins was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1963, and elected into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Hopkins died of heart and kidney failure on May 15, 2015, and his funeral was held at St Monica Catholic Church on Mercer Island.[3]

Career playing statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Source[4]

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1956–57 Syracuse 62 12.3 .379 .746 3.8 .4 5.7
1957–58 Syracuse 69 17.7 .399 .764 5.7 .7 8.2
1958–59 Syracuse 67 22.7 .403 .752 6.5 1.0 10.0
1959–60 Syracuse 75 21.5 .389 .782 6.2 .7 8.7
Career 273 18.8 .394 .761 5.6 .7 8.2

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1957 Syracuse 5 14.6 .360 .667 3.8 .4 5.6
1958 Syracuse 3 13.0 .250 .667 4.7 .0 4.0
1959 Syracuse 9 22.6 .338 .824 6.7 1.0 8.2
1960 Syracuse 1 19.0 .250 1.000 6.0 .0 7.0
Career 18 18.6 .325 .776 5.5 .6 6.7

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Coach Hopkins Has To Be One Of The Best". Xavier Herald Newspaper. 1973-02-04. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  2. 1 2 "Lil' Abner Heads Gold Rush Team". Xavier Herald Newspaper. 1969-09-01. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  3. ↑ "Bob Hopkins, who briefly coached Sonics in 1977, dies at age 80". 16 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Bob Hopkins NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
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