Nov. 3, 1934 – May 15, 2015
Former Seattle SuperSonics head coach and Grambling State basketball great Robert (Bob) M. Hopkins, Sr. died last Friday after a battle with congestive heart failure and kidney disease.
Hopkins, 80, spent his entire professional career studying the game of basketball as an inspirational educator/mentor, successful collegiate coach, professional basketball coach and player. He specialized in player development with a keen emphasis in the art of defense, in addition to being highly skilled in scouting and grooming talent.
A native of Jonesboro, La., Hopkins was a four-time All-American at Grambling in the ‘50s, as he led the nation in scoring and rebounding for four years. He was also the first player in NCAA history to reach 1,000 points in ’53-’54 and ’54-55. In addition, Hopkins is Louisiana’s career scoring leader with 3,759 points and is second – 92 points ahead of Pete Maravich – on the NCAA all-division list.
Hopkins played in the NBA for 5-years as a member of the Syracuse Nationals, now the Philadelphia’76ers. He later worked as a head scout and NBA basketball coach with the Seattle Sonics as an assistant coach alongside his cousin, NBA Hall of Fame Legend Bill Russell. He later became head coach of the Sonics; and served 2-years as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks with Willis Reed.
As an NBA Scout, Hopkins scouted players such as Jack Sikma, the late Dennis Johnson, John Johnson, Slick Watts, Bruce Seals, Gus Williams, Lonnie Shelton, Dean Tolson, Rod Derline and Frank Oleynick to name a few.
In addition to his NBA resume, Hopkins has 28 years college coaching expertise at schools such as Alcorn University, Xavier University, Southern University and Grambling State University.
Hopkins has been inducted into various Halls of Fame, including: the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Hall of Fame, Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame, NAIA Hall of Fame, and the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame — two times, as a player and coach. He also is a member of the All-Louisiana College Team of the Century, and has his basketball memorabilia in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Hopkins is survived by wife Beverly of 55 years, three daughters, Lynnetta, Marilyn, and Debbie; and his son Bobby Jr. He also leaves to cherish his memory four grandchildren, Adrianne, Chris, Alex, and Kellen; and one great grandchild, Maddison.
A memorial service for Hopkins will be held this Friday, May 22 at 11:00 a.m. at St Monica’s Church on Mercer Island.
