Former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Craig Hodges has released a revealing new book “Long Shot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter,” about his life and career with one part exposing how he tried to get Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to speak out about Black oppression.

He says that at the start of the 1991 NBA finals he tried to rope Jordan and Johnson into the idea of getting the Bulls and Lakers to not play the opening game following the beating of Rodney King in LA.

He says he wanted to “stand in solidarity with the Black community while calling out racism and economic inequality in the NBA, where there were no Black owners and almost no Black coaches despite the fact that 75 percent of the players in the league were African-American,”

He then says that Jordan said it was crazy and Johnson thought it was too extreme!

“What’s happening to our people in this country is extreme,” Hodges said he told Johnson.

He also says that attempts to get teammates to raise money to help Chicago communities was brushed asides and they sad they could not get it past their agents!

He told the Guardian:

“I envisioned the Chicago Bulls making history in the most meaningful way,”

“We also had a basketball player whose popularity exceeded that of the pope. If the Bulls spoke in a collective voice during the golden age of professional basketball, the world would listen.”

Hodges said he tried to get Jordan to “break with Nike and go into the sneaker business for himself, with the aim of creating jobs in Black communities.”

Hodges is now a coach and says he has great respect for Kaep, saying:

“I’m trying to reach out to the brother so I can let him know personally: ‘I respect you,’”

“I know he loves to play the game. So, not getting a contract is hurtful to his essence. The fact he’s not even getting offers right now is depressing for me, for him. I know these feelings.”

Hodges book is available on Amazon here and you can read more in the Guardian.