Craig Hodges, when talking comes at a price: "No one from the Bulls explained to me why they didn't renew me after two titles."

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• ABRAHAM ROMERO

  @AbrahamRomero_

Updated on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 - 23:36

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When

invited to

attend a wreath at

grave

, the greatest basketball player in history turned to his partner

(Illinois, 1960): "Craig, why don't you go You?

. "

That phrase sums up the two former champions' careers with the

.

The man committed to his

and the man convinced of his

.

In

(Ed. Captain Swing),

Hodges explains the reasons for his arrival in the NBA, his two rings with Chicago being one of the best triplists in the league and the moment in which he was

, asking the questions and raising the problems that nobody at that moment wanted to ask. "Nobody in the Bulls explained to me why my minutes went down and why they did not want to renew me after two rings," he explains to EL MUNDO.

"I was the union representative of my team for 10 years, I knew very well the problems that were being addressed and

'", He says.

In the late 1990s, when a player was asked why they weren't talking about these social issues publicly, they answered "you don't want to be Craig Hodges."

Well, everyone had their own opinions and decisions.

And securing your future can affect people's consciences at different times.

Money is not the only reason behind those responses.

In his book he also talks about the economic movements that exist in high school basketball and in college.

How different are they from the NBA?

Those categories act independently of the rest and try to get the maximum possible profit.

The NCAA has a long history of corruption, unlike the others.

Before becoming professionals, athletes cannot earn money for practicing that sport, so organizations exploit them as much as possible.

This year, Hodges's book has come face to face with the phenomenon of

The Last Dance,

the documentary about Jordan's Bulls in which his teammates at that time summarize their experiences.

All the important ones come out ... except him.

Why?

"I have seen it. Anything I had said would have stayed in the editing room," he jokes.

And he throws a little dart at the producers: "The premiere moment, with everyone locked in their house ... I get it. People are locked up, so hey, let's make some money by exploiting these jocks again." Hodges in the book he confronts his struggles for the defense of civil rights and the little response he got from his teammates, especially from Jordan, who says "he is going to kick me out of the league" when, as a spokesman for the players, he votes in favor the creation of a pension plan, a circumstance that affected wages.

"Michael was a good teammate and an extremely competitive guy. The greatest talent I've ever played with. But I can't decide how each one spends time, I can only explain how I responded from my position. I always mentioned that my problems people were my problems, but behind me the support did not flow so freely. "That vote on the pension plan was the beginning of its end.

His insistence on the great stars to influence the problems of black people, his ideas of donating part of the salary to the fight against racial inequality or his public demands, such as the letter he delivered to Bush Sr. during the visit of the Bulls to the White House signed their sentence in the NBA.

"If I regret it? I thought that taking those problems to the most influential person in the world in 1991 could achieve something. Less than a year later, no team offered me a contract."

After his retirement, he had the opportunity to work as Phil Jackson's assistant alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another former athlete who has never moved away from social problems.

Kareem is a very smart man.

Worth.

Not only as a player, but also as a person.

Before, social movements outside of sport were more organized with leaders cheering.

Today the world is so big that there is a great disconnect with our leaders and movements.

You also tell about the conversations you had with Kobe Bryant about these social problems in the book.

Before his death, he was very involved, especially in the WNBA.

Kobe was a great role model for his family, the NBA, and anyone who wanted to turn hard work into a positive outcome.

During his time in the league, he had to deal with work stoppages, shortened seasons, and lockouts, so I don't think he had it easy, but I do think that much of the social work that Kobe was connected to had nothing to do with the NBA.

He did things through his foundation and on his own, which is another reason his legacy is as strong as it is.

In recent years, have you been able to speak to Michael, Magic, or Barkley?

Players you highlight in your book who were reluctant to discuss those issues.

None of the ones you mention, but I keep in touch with many of my former colleagues and colleagues.

Since the national clamor for change has returned, some comrades have reached out.

It has been revealing to see how they see the situation, how they saw me at the time and my approach to social change.

Thirty years later, the NBA players have stopped the playoffs for two days to demand racial justice and on the court of the Finals it is written very big Black Lives Matter: "I do not agree that the NBA is leading anything, beyond of hashtags and t-shirts. I had the same problems in 1988 and they looked at me badly. Now it is easy to complain, however powerful and racist an organization may be. The BLM has reached new levels of media interest and people can give their opinion. "

What did you think of the protests during the Playoffs?

Two days of breaks is a good start.

The players union to which he belongs came with protests in 1964, so I hope those young people know what they are part of.

The NBA and our country were born out of protests and understanding how powerful they can be is important.

His case is reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick, an NFL quarterback who has not received a single call after kneeling during the anthem to protest police abuse.

I haven't been able to speak to Colin, but I'm glad to see that he's gotten the NFL and Nike to pay him even though he's not on a team.

My case did not have the repercussion of Colin's, and sometimes I wish that Twitter and Facebook had existed in 1991. I would have liked to know what the public thought about me talking about the abuses I saw.

He delivered a letter to Bush Sr. during the Bulls' visit to the White House.

Would you give one to Trump?

The tragic numbers of murders and violence that I described in 1991 are a mirror of what happens today.

Bush Senior will not be remembered as the friendliest, but Trump has preached far more hatred than most previous presidents.

Giving him a letter doesn't inspire much confidence in me, but I wouldn't stop trying to let him know the problems if given the chance.

Mahmoud Abdul-Raul also 'quit' the NBA a couple of years after his protests during the anthem in 1996.

He is a brother who should be remembered as one of the best scorers in history.

He had a knack for doing things on a basketball court like no one else had, but he realized that he wouldn't keep quiet as he was put next to a hymn he disagreed with.

People like him, who study what he has learned, are being murdered for no other reason than being black.

Being black shouldn't make you a target, but since we both left the league countless young blacks are shot to death or imprisoned.

Mahmoud should be applauded for the stance he took and young people should seek his advice.

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