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I remember Tom Hawkins as a very able NBA defender. It was a very common attitude is his day, as it should be today but isn't, that teams have two players in their starting five who are primarily defenders. These players would defer to the other three offensively. This attitude would in fact get opportunities for black players in the NBA of the late 50s and early 60s they otherwise might not have gotten.
With Cincinnati, Hawkins was a reserve behind shooting forward Jack Twymann. A defensive-minded power forward like Bob Boozer would be paired with Twymann. When Jerry Lucas arrived to the Royals and surpassed Twymann as a threat, Hawkins was the defender who would be paired with Lucas. He then played ahead of former star Twymann. The Royals' best years were with Hawkins playing his key defensive role.
As a Laker, he was largely a reserve behind Elgin Baylor, but got to play in the NBA Finals.
A player with a great attitude and a willingness to excel defensively made Hawkins a player with few critics during his NBA career.
Tom Hawkins did not attend the elite private school known as the Francis W Parker school. He attended Parker High School on the south side of Chicago, a public high school. The link in your article is to the private school. Parker High School was renamed Paul Robeson High School in the 1970s.
