Los Angeles Times

Former Laker and broadcaster Tommy Hawkins dies at 80

LOS ANGELES _ It was the spring of 1985, and the Los Angeles Lakers stood one victory away from avenging a painful history of playoff losses to the Boston Celtics.

Watching on television from home, the long-retired Tommy Hawkins _ who had played for the Lakers when they moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles _ couldn't help digging through his closet, searching for his old uniform.

That was how Hawkins spent the final game of the NBA Finals that year,

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