Suns Hall of Famer Hawkins dies at age 75

Hall of Famer and Phoenix Suns star forward Connie Hawkins, who played seven seasons in the NBA, has died at the age of 75.Hawkins, nicknamed “The Hawk” and a Brooklyn playground legend, played four All-Star seasons with the Suns from 1969 to 1973. He also played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks.The Suns, who retired Hawkins’ number 42 jersey, announced Saturday that he passed away on Friday.“’The Hawk’ revolutionised the game and remains to this day an icon of the sport and one of basketball’s great innovators,” the Suns said in a statement. “His unique combination of size, grace and athleticism was well ahead of its time and his signature style of play is now a hallmark of the modern game.“Connie’s passion for the game was only matched by his desire to give back to the Phoenix community, a role which he played proudly as a Suns community ambassador, spreading warmth and kindness to everyone he encountered. We will miss Hawk dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends as we mourn the passing of a true Suns legend.”The 6-foot-8 Hawkins averaged 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals during his NBA career.Before joining the NBA at age 27, Hawkins played two seasons in the American Basketball Association, winning the league title and MVP honors with the Pittsburgh Pipers in 1967-68. He also played four seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1960s.He became the first Suns player to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. Suns great Steve Nash tweeted: “Gonna miss the Hawk! Legend! RIP.”Mavericks guard Curry out with left leg injuryDallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry, the younger brother of NBA champion Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, will be sidelined indefinitely with a left leg injury, the Mavericks announced Saturday.The expected Mavericks backcourt starter has suffered a left tibia stress reaction and will be re-evaluated in a week, the club holding out hope he can be ready when the new season opens in just under two weeks.Curry, 27, is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry. He enters the final season of a two-year deal worth $6 million after averaging 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game last season for Dallas, all career highs.He connected on 48.1 percent of his shots from the court, 42.5 percent from 3-point range, as the Mavericks went 33-49, finishing eight games out of a Western Conference playoff berth.Seth Curry had prior NBA stops with the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings before joining the Mavericks.Meanwhile Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum suffered a separated left shoulder and ligament damage in a preseason game Friday night and reportedly could miss the entire season.After an MRI revealed the injury, Jazz officials and doctors were meeting Saturday to discuss a plan of action on recovery and rehabilitation, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.The 22-year-old Exum, a native of Australia, was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft.Exum averaged 6.2 points, 1.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 66 games (26 starts) last season.