Joe Hammond (basketball)

Joe Hammond, nicknamed "The Destroyer", is an American former streetball basketball player based in Harlem, New York. He attended Taft High School in the Bronx,[1] but he dropped out of school in the 9th grade and thus never played college basketball.[2] He played professionally in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) with the Allentown Jets and Garden State Colonials.[3]

Joe Hammond
Personal information
BornHarlem, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolTaft (The Bronx, New York)
NBA draft1971: Hardship round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1969–1973
PositionGuard
Career history
1969–1971Allentown Jets
1972–1973Garden State Colonials

Career

A streetball player, Hammond once scored 50 points in a half against Julius Erving at Rucker Park.[4] In the 1971 NBA hardship draft, he was selected with the fifth pick of the 1971 Early Entry draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.[2][5] He also turned down a three-year contract to play in the American Basketball Association.[1]

He was arrested for dealing drugs and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.[6] In 1990, he was described as being the best streetball player ever by The New York Times.[7] He later sued Nike and Foot Locker for $5 million for using his image without his permission.[6]

References
  1. "Elite 24: Rucker Park legends". ESPN. 17 May 2012.
  2. "The 25 Greatest Streetball Players of All Time - 1. Joe Hammond". www.complex.com.
  3. "Joe Hammond minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  4. "Original Old School: Street Moves - SLAMonline". 21 June 2010.
  5. "Joe Hammond".
  6. "Legendary hoop star says: Nike fouled me". 17 January 2010.
  7. "Legend of the Playground". The New York Times. 11 November 1990.
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