Joe Hammond Inducted in 2024
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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] He won an EPBL championship with the Jets in 1970.[4]
Career
A streetball player, Hammond once scored 50 points in a half against Julius Erving at Rucker Park.[5] 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][6] He also turned down a three-year contract to play in the American Basketball Association.[1]
Career
A streetball player, Hammond once scored 50 points in a half against Julius Erving at Rucker Park.[5] 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][6] He also turned down a three-year contract to play in the American Basketball Association.[1]