Tommy Hawkins, the first black basketball player to earn All-America honors at Notre Dame and who played for the Los Angeles Lakers during a 10-year NBA career, died Wednesday. He was 80.
Hawkins graduated from Notre Dame in 1959 after playing three years on the basketball team. He was named to the school's All-Century team in 2004 and inducted into its Ring of Honor in 2015.
Hawkins was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers with the third pick in the first round of the 1959 NBA draft. He played one season in Minnesota before moving with the team to Los Angeles.
He went on to play six seasons for the Lakers, averaging 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 454 games. The 6-foot-5 forward also played for the Cincinnati Royals from 1962-66.