Juaquin Hawkins

Juaquin Hawkins - Hawkins runs his own foundation, http://www.hawkhoopssportsfoundation.org/. After surviving a debilitating stroke in 2008, he is also now an ambassador for the American Stroke Organisation, and the story of his basketball career is being written in an as yet unreleased book, tentatively entitled "Soaring With the Hawk." It was due to have published late last year, but if it did, it did so quietly.

[...] Despite retiring from regular playing in 2007, Vinson still dusts off the cobwebs every summer to play in the IBL. The IBL is a very minor league with no coverage here, other than the exploits of one team; the Los Angeles Lightning. Last summer [the IBL plays in the summer], the Lightning churned out a veritably stacked roster of people you've heard of; Lamond Murray Jamal Sampson, Bryon Russell, Toby Bailey, Juaquin Hawkins, Adam Parada, California State senator Tony Strickland, and Darrick Martin. Some of those, such as Vinson, were retired players (or politicians) just looking to scratch their playing itch; some (Parada, Sampson, Murray) were still playing professional careers and just wanted a little summer gig. Either way, the team was stacked, and the Lightning breezed to the IBL title.

This year's Lightning aren't quite as stacked, but some of those names remain. Russell, Vinson, Hawkins and Strickland are still there, and the 6-0 Lightning are still winning. In their last game, Vinson totalled 33 points and 8 assists; Russell had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists; Hawkins had 10 points and 8 rebounds; Strickland had a three trillion. The Lightning won by 15.

- Juaquin Hawkins

Former Rockets guard Hawkins turns 37 years old this summer, but was playing professionally until recently. But now he's not. While playing for the Australian team Gold Coast Blaze in January 2008, Hawkins suffered a stroke that pretty much ended his professional career. It certainly ended his season. Hawkins did return to the Blaze the following season to play again, but his stats were way down, and he left after 6 games. He's all right now, even playing on the freaking stacked Los Angeles Lightning IBL team last summer. But there's no more seasons in Australia in his future.

Now in retirement, Hawkins is an active youth leader and fundraiser in the L.A. area who runs this. He is also an ambassador for the American Stroke Association, for obvious reasons.