National Basketball Association roundup
(The Sports Xchange) - Hall of Famer and Phoenix Suns star Connie Hawkins, who played seven seasons in the NBA, has died at the age of 75. Hawkins, nicknamed "The Hawk", 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 Hawkins passed away on Friday. 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. - - - 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. - - - - Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a stress reaction of his left tibia, the team announced. It was unclear when the injury occurred but Curry played in the preseason game at Orlando on Thursday night when he shot 4 of 14 from the field. The 27-year-old Curry, the younger brother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, was projected to start in Dallas' backcourt this season. (Editing by Gene Cherry)
