Between those highs were some gut-wrenching lows. The 1978 Rich East graduate's career ended at age 32, when he was released by the Bulls and never signed with another team -- despite the fact he connected on 40 percent of his three-point attempts in his 10-year career.

Hodges is convinced he was blackballed from the NBA after showing up at the Bulls' White House celebration in 1992 wearing a dashiki and handing President George H.W. Bush a letter asking him to address injustices in the black community.

Hodges, 49, returned to the Chicago area this week to host a shooting camp in Chicago Heights. On Thursday, he discussed the ups and downs of his Basketball life.

Q: Based on how your career ended, do you know if the NBA or the Lakers ownership tried to discourage Phil Jackson from hiring you?

A: I don't think so. [Former Bulls and Lakers assistant] Tex Winter is such a big supporter of mine. Phil wanted to hire a shooting coach, and he never had one. Tex pushed for me to get the position.

Q: What can you tell Kobe Bryant about how to shoot?

A: Just little things. When Kobe keeps his heels up when he's extending his shooting arm, he's right on. But when he doesn't, he's iffy. Then he'll start moving his eyes. I'll tell him before the game, ''Keep your heels up.'' Kobe's not one to sit there and analyze it. You just give him a little reminder and you walk away.

Q: If you could take one player in their prime, would you take Michael Jordan or Kobe?

A: M.J., all day. There's no comparison. M.J. could score 100 points in this era. You can't hand-check now. Imagine that trying to guard M.J. It would be crazy.

Q: Knowing what you do now, do you still think you were blackballed by the NBA after the Bulls visited the White House?

A: Absolutely. It was ugly to a lot of degrees. I was 32 years old, and I never got a single invitation or offer from another team. Come on. I never had one technical foul, never was fined, never missed a practice, never missed a bus or a plane. I had strong character. I often wonder what my game would have been like at 32 or 36 years old.

Q: If you could turn back time, would you dress the same way and hand President Bush the same letter again?

A: I'd have to do it again. I just can't see myself sitting at the White House and doing nothing. When kids kill themselves for a Starter jacket or gym shoes, I just can't sit there and do nothing. That's not me. My family was part of the Civil Rights movement. I remember when Martin Luther King died and I walked in my house and seeing my mother cry for the first time. I grew up with Martin Luther King and the Black Panthers. All of it was right there in front of me. The impact they had on me growing up was strong. This generation, they look at A-Rod, LeBron, Jay-Z and Kobe and they see wealth as a means of success. For me, it was about our culture and our community.

Q: What did the letter say, and do you know if President Bush read it?

A: The letter was respectful. I thanked him for considering these words and that I knew I received the chance to visit the White House because I'm on a championship team. I asked if he would consider spending the same time helping the poor and disadvantaged like he would foreign policy. I never got a direct response, but I definitely received an indirect response. I never played in the NBA again.

Q: Phil Jackson, on the fact no team even offered you a tryout after your release in 1992, said, ''The [ Bulls ] organization's position is that I can't talk about it. So I have to call off my personal feelings on this one and just go corporate.'' What do you think of that?

A: Wow! I've never seen that quote. ... It's like what my son [Jabril] says, ''You have to take care of your family.'' Wow!

Q: What are your family's views on what you did at the White House?

A: My kids understand why I did what I did. They wouldn't do it, but they understand why I did. I put on a cultural garment, and look what happened. I couldn't even get a job, and believe me, we were struggling.