(1) Introduction
/kloc-one afternoon in October, 1994, Harlem, new york. On the street opposite the dark and shabby Paul building, a slightly hunched old man was hobbling into the basketball court, wearing a baseball cap, a dirty turtle neck and a pair of tattered blue jeans. Obviously, he looks more like an old beggar than a streetball king now.
"Hey, old man! Are you blind or something? " The questioner is an angry young man. He put the basketball under his arm and pointed to the clear sky overhead with one hand and said, "We are playing ball! Get your poor ass away from me! "
Several other young people joined in and looked at the stranger-a tall and thin black man with fair skin and short beard. I saw him go to the sideline of the stadium, gently put down the plastic garbage bag on his back, turned and walked back to the center of the stadium, looking at the empty stands on both sides, as if drawing some strength-in his memory, fanatical fans shouted over and over again: "We want Joe! We want Joe! " ......
Once a street hero, it is hard to see the bully's anger now.
"I'm short of a few dollars." He said softly, "Which one of you will fight with me."
"Don't waste our time." A young man said. "Go and play somewhere else." Cried another young man.
The stranger looked at the ground of the stadium with tired eyes. "Nobody wants my money?" He asked.
"Then show your money!" A young man said.
"The losers make money." Said the stranger.
"Cut the crap." The young man with the ball said, "You don't want money, just give it to me."
"How about twenty dollars?" Asked the stranger.
"Ok, let's get started."
"Your ball." As he spoke, the stranger took the ball from the young man, grabbed it in one hand, shook it a few times and stuffed it back into his chest. "Trust me, little brother, this is my home court."
"Come on, Rob, fuck him!" Several other young people shouted.
"Yes, Rob, let me see what you can do." The stranger said that he leaned forward slightly over the free throw line and stuck to his opponent.
The people on the side stood together, the garbage began, and the game began. The young man pretended to jump shot and rushed to the basket quickly, which looked like a layup that was destined to happen. But at the moment of shooting, the stranger reached out and touched the basketball, then jumped high, grabbed the ball and landed near the right baseline for a short pause. He is still the same round head, just like when he fought with Dr. J more than 20 years ago At the first attack opportunity, the stranger leaned forward as if to start a layup. The young man's foot moved and lost his defensive position. The stranger looked at his opponent, smiled gently and raised his hand to shoot. Basketball with perfect arc seems to have stopped in the air for decades before crossing the net.
"fuck!" A young man on the sidelines shouted.
As the game continued, the stranger gradually opened the score. Reverse layup, small hook, left hand pick, and then three consecutive free throw line jumpers. After a while, 12 is 0. The young man watching the war seemed to smell the musty smell of which apartment, and his expression was very embarrassing. Finally, strangers can finish the game with only one point left. When he jumped up and threw the winning ball, a voice outside the fence shouted, "Hey! Joe Hammond! Don't be hard on the child, don't take his money. "
The destroyer is at Locke Stadium.
The young man stayed for a moment and realized that he had just been played by a basketball ghost. He lowered his head and put his hands on his knees. "Are you Joe Hammond?" The child asked. He reached into his right sock and pulled out a crumpled 20 yuan bill. "You won this. I didn't underestimate your meaning."
On the streets of new york, when the name Joe Hammond is mentioned, or the old man who often wanders around the old site with a garbage bag on his back, many people will smile on his face-people who saw him play in the 1970s ... dunk, accurate long-range shot and incredible scoring record. At that time, he sold all kinds of white powder and had money, leaving aside the 50 thousand annual salary and Zijin jersey sent by the Lakers.
"That was my good day." Hammond went to pick up his garbage bag. "I have everything and can do anything. I thought I could do this all my life ... Well, I should go and see my daughter today ... "Hammond recalled his past and looked a little trance.
(2) Teenagers become famous
1963 65438+ 10, a heavy winter snow covered the whole city of new york, and the streets were empty, so there was no competition.
Donna Adams, a teacher and basketball coach, is sitting behind her desk at Cooper Junior High School at the junction of120th Street and Madison Avenue, watching the students' nervous exams. There is only the sound of rustling pencils rubbing the manuscript paper in the classroom. Suddenly, a strange sound came from downstairs.
"Sip ... Sip ... Sip ..."
Adams stood up, told the students to continue the exam, and went to the window to have a look.
"I looked down from the window and it was him again." Adams recalled, "I was shoveling snow on the court."
That's/kloc-Joe Hammond, who dropped out of school at the age of 0/3. His mother died early, and his father ran around to make a living. Every night, he sleeps in the hall of his grandmother's house with many cousins. During the day, he slipped from one stadium to another, and after every game, his hands were covered with blisters. His Pro Keds sneakers (a kind of cheap basketball shoes popular among blacks in the 1960s and 1970s) were wrapped together with tape. Every day, Hammond didn't go home until long after sunset. When God tried to cover the stadium with heavy snow, he picked up a broom or shovel to confront him.
"Joe only stayed for 27 days in seventh grade. He is almost a homeless child. " Howie Evans, Sports director of the Wagner Center in Harlem, the mentor of Destroyer and now the sports editor of Amsterdam News, said, "When he was eleven or twelve years old, he was addicted to basketball and wandered around those courts all day. Whenever there was a place, he began to practice shooting for hours at a time. While watching the adults play ball and training by themselves, Joe soon learned a lot. "
"Thirteen-year-old Joe's understanding of games is beyond most adults. Before him, I trained thousands of children and never saw anyone play like him. " Evans recalled, "He has extraordinary ball control skills and soon opened the gap with children of his age. It's hard to see a child commanding four other teammates on the court, especially when he doesn't have the ball. But Joe can do it. He sometimes gets angry because his teammates should pass rather than cut. I had to pull him aside and tell him that those children couldn't understand what he already understood. "
Evans and other neighbors took turns taking Hammond home and giving him food, clothes and so on. Hammond never forgot this kindness. Later Hammond found a way to make a living. One night, after playing the ball, he saw a bunch of people throwing skeletons under the street lamp to gamble ... Soon, he became addicted to it, and soon became a street gambler, earning a lot of money, and even began to help his grandmother pay the rent.
"You can start with tens of dollars," Hammond said. "With luck, a night can become thousands of dollars. I have had several times. " He plays ball every day or squats on the ground to gamble with others. Joe Hammond's hands are always black, which is also the origin of his other nickname "Dirty Hands Joe".
Joe Hammond 19 years old
/kloc-Hammond, 0/6 years old, has been competing with top university players and professional masters on the street court in new york, and has never lost the limelight. He has won all kinds of street champions, including Locke League and MVP. It is common for him to score 50 or 60 points in a single game. His opponents include Cass Russell, Dave Stotz, Connie Hawkins and other NBA celebrities.
Hammond said: "In the past, my grandmother had a special trophy room at home. "There are hundreds of various trophies in it, some of which are more than 2 meters high. Everyone calls that room the Hammond Memorial. " In the same room, Hammond hid thousands of dollars he won from street gambling in his socks, pillow and a folder of textbooks he had never read. His reputation in gambling is far-reaching, and many gamblers from other districts of new york come here to compete with him. Just like on the basketball court, Hammond wins more and loses less.
Hammond began to think about how to invest the money. In casinos and stadiums, his skills have advanced by leaps and bounds, and fewer and fewer people call him "dirty Joe". He has a new nickname-"Destroyer".
"This nickname suits him very well, because this child can really destroy any opponent." Evans said, "He's cool, like ice. His actions are calculated in advance, not based on what he can do, but on what his opponent can't do ... No matter how hot the weather is, he never sweats. People think he is a mutant. I think it's probably because he is too relaxed when playing. "
Hammond is like an old coach in a young athlete. No one can stop him from leaping high from any angle and from any distance and hitting the board into the basket accurately. "That was the most wonderful shot I have ever seen." Pete Vichy, a senior journalist in New York Post, said, "Every rebound seems to be his relatives. He can shoot from anywhere, dribble past people and dunk on your head. Now you can see people like Del Kerry and glen rice. They are both excellent shooters, but they are usually not. Joe can have both. Joe can do anything that others can do. On the outdoor court, no one can shoot as accurately as Joe, especially when it is windy. "
In the street, Hammond found a way to make a fortune by investing. "I started selling drugs." Hammond said, "I rely on my own fame. Everyone wants to buy things from me because they want to be with me. I made a lot of money. "
Hammond, who made a fortune, not only upgraded his tape-wrapped Pro Keds to a brand-new converse, but also often bought some new shoes for street children: "This is my way to repay the society."
(3) Myth -4 hours/two MVPs/101.
On a rainy Saturday, Hammond put on his converse and walked into the gymnasium of Fordham University. On this day, the Destroyer wants to create a myth in the history of streetball in new york.
We are going to play two back-to-back games today. The first game is the All-Star Competition of Locke University, and the second game is the famous "new york Philadelphia Competition", in which only professional players participate.
Hammond took part in the first game. Hammond beat later NBA stars such as "Super Micro" nathaniel archibald and Dean Memmingo with a score of 5 1 minute and won the MVP title. In a few minutes of this game, Hammond hit six long-range shots in a row (there was no three-point line at that time). If you think it's unusual, consider it-all 6 shots are thrown into the basket.
Hammond was about to change clothes and leave when he was stopped by new york coach Teddy Jones.
There is a famous saying in NBA: "God dare not single out' Black Pearl'"
Jones is very worried about Philadelphia's strong star lineup: Earl-"Black Pearl"-Munro, archie clark, and a group of strong bench players, such as Joe-"Candy Bean"-Kobe (Kobe's father) and so on. Although new york also included Freddy Crawford and Connie Hawkins from the Knicks, Jones violated the rules and invited "saboteurs" to ensure the victory of the game.
"Hey, Joe, do me a favor," said Jones. "We may need you to play another game." Jones brought the only blue jersey he could find and handed it to Hammond.
Hammond sat on the bench at the beginning of the game. "Black Pearl" Munro began to slaughter new york's backcourt. "Munro leaned back against the basket every time, arching new york's Pablo to the rim and scoring easily." Hammond said, "Then, the coach let me play."
"Destroyer" can be clearly distinguished on the court, because Philadelphia is wearing white, new york is red, and only Hammond is wearing a basketball jersey. "My first attack after playing, I took the ball on the left," Hammond recalled. "I hung it to Connie-you know he rarely sent it back." But that time he returned the ball to me and shouted,' Young man, do something you are good at!' "
The Destroyer listened to Hawkins and pretended to escape Munro and Luke Jackson who helped protect him. This looks like a heavy deduction. However, the Destroyer only wants two points. He gently let the ball roll down from his fingertips, landed on his elbow and slid into the basket.
"Suddenly," Hammond said, "these NBA stars started feeding me."
Hammond jumped high from time to time, hitting his trademark batting board again and again and scoring goals. New york began to equalize the score. Angry Munro and Clark began to double-team the "Destroyer" in the backcourt. In the second half of the third quarter, Munro and Clark approached Hammond from both sides. Hammond turned to the sideline like he was out of bounds and turned back immediately. His arm whipped the ball behind his back like a whip and carried it from the opposite side to the front. The whole action was done in one go, shaking Munro and Clark in circles like two bowling pins. Then Hammond broke through the defense line and advanced rapidly. Munro and Clark turned to reach for the ball at the same time, but their heads collided and fell to the floor. The two were so embarrassed that the game was even interrupted for a few minutes.
At the end of the game, Hammond scored 50 points and won the MVP trophy. One afternoon, in four hours, the destroyer played 10 1 minute with the best player on earth.
He is still not sweating.
④ The strongest war in Locke's history.
Karl ram Heezen, a street NBA amphibious superstar, said: "The two greatest players in Locke's history are Dr. J, Julius Erving and Joe Hammond."
/kloc-in the summer of 0/970, Hammond's milbank team met Dr. J's West Side team. Milbank is a street team, and besides Hammond, there are street stars such as Peevy kirkland. The leader of the Western Conference team is "Dr. J" Julius Erving, and there are many NBA players such as Knicks defender Mike Riordan.
On that day, thousands of fans flocked to Locke Park to watch the long-awaited war. Some fans who can't find a seat climbed the iron fence, some sat on the branches, and some simply stood on their roofs.
It is rumored that Hammond was absent when the players warmed up. Milbank dragged his feet, but the referee blew the whistle for the kick-off, even though it was on the railing and branches, "We want Joe!" Shouts are endless. Without Hammond, milbank was beaten out of the water by Xicheng team in the first half, with both offensive and defensive abilities. Dr J not only moves gracefully, but also tears milbank's defense many times. In the first half, Xicheng led 10. The fans want their own street heroes, but Owen's battle with Hammond seems to be in vain.
Kuku was only 8 years old at that time, and his father took him to watch the game: "Suddenly, just before the second half, you heard people shouting, clapping and stamping their feet in the stands ... like an earthquake or something."
On Eighth Street, Joe Hammond got off a limousine, and before his feet landed, he was surrounded by crowds, including children who wanted to sign autographs, friends who greeted him, women who winked at him, and reporters who asked him why he was absent in the first half. The police stopped the crowd. Hammond is more like a big movie star who attended the Oscar ceremony than a player who was late for the intermission in a street ball game.
Amid the deafening shouts of the fans, Hammond ran to the bench and took off his coat: "Coach, I'm coming."
In the second half, Xicheng team sent ABA player Charlie Scott to guard Hammond. When milbank attacked for the first time, the ball went to Hammond's hand, "Shua"-two jumpers. In the Western Conference attack, kirkland steals the ball passes it back to Hammond, and "Bang"-Hammond dunks too hard, and the fans start dancing in the stands, and some even flock to the stadium. Then there was Dr. J. He caught the ball at the top of the arc, strode into the inside line, waved his long arm and smashed the ball into the basket, as if to say to Hammond fans, "Watch me!"
Westside's lead gradually disappeared, and they replaced Hammond again and again. Finally, Dr. J was sent, and the fans went into the ultimate madness. "When Dr. J defended Joe, things were a little different," Kuku recalled. "Believe me, Dr. J got it with open hands, and Joe couldn't help him." But when Joe took the ball, Dr. J couldn't help it. " ......
Locke's Gemini is in a different situation today.
According to Hammond, he scored 50 points at half-time and Dr. J scored 39 points. Hammond won the MVP trophy, but after two overtime, Westlife finally won. Although he lost the game, Hammond's story will always be engraved in the most conspicuous place in Locke's legendary history. Today, decades later, this game is still the greatest game witnessed on the streets of new york.
Hammond and Dr. J's scores in that competition became unsolved cases on the streets of new york.
Hammond said he got 50 points and Julius got 39 points.
West end coach Pete Vichy said that each of them got about 40 points.
Ernie Morris, a Locke historian who watched the game at the scene, said, "Both of them played well, and Joe played well. He is really late, but 50 points is nonsense. "
"Joe can't talk nonsense like this anymore." Pew Cauquelin said, "Joe is a great player. Fifty or sixty points is not difficult for him." But he didn't get that many points that day, let alone on Dr. J. I remember clearly that Joe got 43 points. Julius defended him for several rounds in several substitutions, and Joe also scored some points. But in the main time, it was not Julius who guarded him. Such a story brings Joe a bad reputation rather than damage. He doesn't need such stories to elevate himself. He is one of the greatest players in Locke's history. "
"Whether Dr. J or anyone else remembers." Hammond said, "I still won the MVP of that game. They gave me the MVP because I was the best on the field, I scored more points, I did more things, and I was better than them. "
"Not true, absolutely not true." Dr. J said, "Charlie Scott has been defending him and we won the game." Hammond is a good player. He plays fluently, shoots accurately and is very clever. I dare say that he is the best in their team. He is a real Locke legend, and it's no big deal to score more than 30 points in Locke. But 50 points at half time? "
Peter Vichy said: "Julius is one of the top 50 NBA50 stars, and his fame and strength are real." However, in that summer, Joe did have the ability to score more than 40 points, but his defense against Dr. J. Julius was not so good. Michael Jordan is unhappy when people say he is better than him, so we'd better not ask him about Joe. "
......
In this way, until today, no one knows how many points the destroyer scored in that half.
(5) Shoulder the "Big Three"
"Knicks players often talk about Hammond, who has become famous in the NBA," said Lou Carnice, head coach of ABA Nets. "People talk about him as if he were a fairy."
Evans said, "I swear, how famous is Joe?" Sometimes when some professional players drive to the arena to play ball, they will stop and ask the people outside, is Joe there? If so, they will jump back into the car and turn around and play somewhere else. "
After a few months of arguing with Dr. J, Hammond participated in the All-Star Game of the Eastern Basketball Association. The name "Destroyer" Joe Hammond, which can destroy any defense, has crossed the American continent and spread to the Los Angeles Lakers. They selected Hammond in the NBA "poor draft" of 197 1, and the big boss Cook offered an annual salary of $50,000 to invite Hammond to join. Lakers coach Bill Sherman took advantage of the team's away game to challenge the Knicks and called all the players to try out with Hammond on the rest day. With Chamberlain, West and Baylor, the Lakers arranged a special training for Hammond at Pace University through Howie Evans.
Hammond was taken to shooting practice by Sherman and general manager Fred Swartz. In practice, Sherman always separates big players from small players. Both sides shoot, and the one who shoots more in a row wins. Obviously, the smaller team always wins.
Hammond was assigned to the brigade on this day. "Joe hit 18 balls in a row," Evans said. "Wilt (Chamberlain) was a little excited. He started shouting,' Shoot, boy, two more!' Sherman pretended to be cool and walked around trying not to look in Joe's direction. "Rally, Hammond hit 14 ball in a row.
"After training, Joe was left behind by coach Sherman," Evans said. "He told the others to get dressed and leave, leaving Joe to practice one-on-one with another player."
"Joe ate that guy, which really humiliated him." Evans said, "that guy finally unbearable. He dragged Joe to the ground. Finally Sherman went up and said,' Forget it, you can't beat this kid.' "
The man who dragged Hammond to the ground was Pat Riley.
If Hammond joins the "Big Three", it may help the old Baylor realize his dream of championship.
Chamberlain and several other players are peeping out through the window. They all have incredible expressions on their faces. What makes them even more unbelievable is that a few months later, Hammond rejected the contract of the Lakers.
After Hammond refused to join, the Lakers still offered him $300 a game to participate in the Los Angeles Summer League, and provided him with temporary accommodation, a car and a driver. Hammond asked the Lakers if he could bring some friends with him. The Lakers refused, and Hammond replied, "Fuck you."
"I told the Lakers that I had to earn as much as' those guys' because I was better than most of them, and they didn't want to." Hammond said, "Then I asked for a contract without dismissal and a guarantee agreement. They refused again. They can't figure out why the boy in this slum wants to bargain with them. Of course, I can't tell them why. "
Why? Destroyer made a fortune by drug trafficking, bought two new racing cars, but didn't even have a driver's license.
After Hammond's contract with the Lakers fell through, ABA new york Nets coach Lu kanis Ka came to Hammond: "Joe's skills are so good, he learned a lot from the street, and he has a bright future." Kanis said, "He is simply the pioneer of the magician group. I gave him a three-year contract that I promised not to cut, but he still refused to sign it. "
As a result, the game "Destroyer" never walked out of the street again, but the bold NBA stars took to the streets to find him to duel. "But no one has ever beaten him," Evans said. "Cass Russell (1966 NBA No.1 pick) said a lot about how he was going to teach Joe a lesson. Later they met in a game, and Joe scored 30 points in the first half. Finally, Joe got 56 points. Cass was very angry that day and never played Locke again. "
(6)73 minutes and 500 cans
In 73-76, Hammond didn't show up much at Locke Stadium. In the summer of' 76, he returned to Locke League and played four games, scoring 29, 36, 59 and 73. 73 points set a Locke record, which no one can break so far. In that game, he was defended by Mike riordan, a famous NBA defense expert at that time.
In fact, Hammond has been wandering the streets since he left basketball, gradually moving from the altar of the stadium to the evil of the black street, earning a lot of money and enjoying a decadent life. "They asked me how I could refuse to cooperate with players like Chamberlain and West." Hammond said, "But I had a nightclub, two apartments and a villa. Do you know how rich I was then? /kloc-when I was 0/0 years old, I sold drugs and gambled on the street. /kloc-When I was 0/5 years old, I saved 50,000 yuan with my father. Before the Lakers gave me that contract, 200 thousand cash was hidden in my apartment. Marijuana, heroin, I can earn tens of thousands of dollars a year. What is the significance of the Lakers' contract? "
Finally, Hammond became addicted to the drugs he sold and became an addict. 1984 was arrested by the police on suspicion of selling ecstasy. Since then, he has been in and out of prison, and his property is finally running out.
Hammond told the prison guards when he was in prison that they could organize a basketball league and let the prisoners have some entertainment. The prison guard agreed carefully. As you can imagine, the prison is full of "We want Joe!" "Shouts. In his spare time, Hammond competed with other prisoners for free throws and used canned tuna issued by the prison as gambling money. In such gambling, Joe made 93 free throws in a row. ""On the 94th ball, there was a nasty bee flying around in front of my eyes, "Hammond said. The ball bounced in the basket several times and came out. "
When Hammond 1988 was released from prison, the prison guard found 500 cans of tuna under his bed.
"They asked me if I wanted to take it home," Hammond said. "I said I was tired of eating for a whole year."
(7) Conclusion
"Di-"A black jeep swayed past, and the harsh horn pulled us back 1994.
Joe went to Wagner's apartment to visit her young lover Beverly seabrook and their daughter Joey Hammond. Hammond has never been married and has four children (from three different relationships) and four grandchildren. Hammond, still carrying his garbage bag, crossed Happy Street and walked into the main entrance of the building. Several people with children recognized him immediately.
A father greeted his child, pushed him in front of Hammond and said, "Jamal, this is Joe Hammond. The one I've been telling you. People used to call him a destroyer. He gave Dr. J 50 points. "
Jamal holds Hammond's hand. "I've heard a lot about you." He said, "My father says you are the greatest." Hammond looked at the father and son, smiled shyly, said thank you, and then slipped into the elevator.
"People always talk about what I have done before." Hammond said, "I heard them tell my old story. After a while, it seemed to me that they were talking about a dead man before his death. "
Seabrook and Hammond have known each other since they were teenagers. She ran into the bedroom and took out an old photo album full of newspaper clippings and old photos. There is a picture of Joe and Arrington Jets teammate Wen Gou before Wen Gou joined the Knicks to win the championship and became addicted to drugs. And photos of him and Herman Newins, the "helicopter". 1980 Newt died in a car accident. "Helicopters can really fly ..." Hammond said. "It's a pity."
Turning over a page, it is james williams, the flying man, standing beside the smiling terminator Gene Mays. There is a picture of Beverly hugging Joe after the Legatia Memorial Competition. The memorial hall is located in East 1 16 Street, where there is a huge golden tournament hall of fame plaque. Joe Hammond's name is tied with kevin williams, Walter Barry, Maric Healy and chris mullin.
Seabrook smiled and turned to the photo of Earl May Nicot, another street star whose future in the NBA was ruined by drugs. Young Hammond once regarded "goat" as an idol.
"Earl often walks to the stadium with his body drained by white powder. I always see Earl walk up to Joe and say, "Joe, don't be like me. If you stay on the basketball court, the money will come. " Seabrook said, "But Joe wouldn't listen to him. Seabrook's voice is a little choked up. She went to the photo album and took a deep breath. "I am the beauty queen of the school. He is a big star in the street. " She said, "It seems that not long ago people regarded Joe as a king. I used to think that our life would be like a fairy tale ... "
For decades, Joe Hammond ruled street basketball in new york, refused an NBA contract, made a fortune in drug trafficking, went to prison, and scored 50 points on Dr. J's head ... "Tell me," Hammond shook his head, "Is this the' legend' people want to hear?"