Spencer Mason Hawes (born April 28, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2007 NBA draft and is the nephew of Steve Hawes, a retired NBA player.
High school career
Hawes played center at Seattle Preparatory School, an elite college-prep school in Seattle, Washington. The team won the state championship in the 2005–06 season and Hawes was named the tournament MVP. He might have entered the 2006 NBA draft had the NBA not enacted a new rule requiring players to wait a year after their class graduates from high school. Following the 2005–06 season, Hawes was selected as an Associated Press All-American, McDonald's All-American, Parade All-American, and USA Today All-American. He was also named 2006 Gatorade Boys Basketball Washington Player of the Year and Seattle Times player of the year.
Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals, Hawes was listed as the No. 2 center and the No. 6 player in the nation in 2006. He also was nicknamed the Scheme because of how he would impact the game no matter if it was pumping his team up or hitting a late shot to win the game.
College career
Hawes attended and played at the University of Washington, where his uncle, Steve, and his father, Jeff, both played basketball. Hawes led the Huskies in scoring with 14.9 points per game, ranked 10th in the Pac-10. Hawes also ranked second on the Huskies with 6.4 rebounds per game, ninth in the Pac-10. Spencer Hawes set a school record for freshmen with 461 points, despite missing one game due to a left ankle sprain. This record was later broken by Isaiah Thomas.
Hawes scored 20 or more points nine times, while posting three double-doubles. He was also named to the Pac-10 all-freshman team.
Professional career
Sacramento Kings (2007–2010) Hawes was projected to go as high as fifth overall to the Celtics to as low as twelfth overall to the 76ers. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft.
Hawes played sparingly in his rookie season of 2007/2008. Although appearing in 71 games, he started only 8 and averaged 13.1 minutes per game. He averaged a modest 4.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and .6 blocks per game with a .459 field goal percentage.
In his second season as a pro, opportunities opened up for Hawes when the starting center Brad Miller was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Hawes' numbers went up in every major statistical category, at 11.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game with a .466 field goal percentage in 29.3 minutes per game. Hawes also started in 51 games, but missed the final game of the season due to an injury that occurred from a flagrant foul assessed to Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets. The foul would result in controversy as Kings co-owner, Joe Maloof, would later state, "That (the hard foul) was thuggery, and you can quote me on that."
Philadelphia 76ers (2010–2014) On June 17, 2010, he was traded along with Andrés Nocioni to the Philadelphia 76ers for center Samuel Dalembert. Hawes ended the 2010-11 NBA season having averaged 7.2 points per game.
On March 16, 2013, Hawes recorded 18 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocks in a win against the Indiana Pacers.
On November 22, 2013, Hawes recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists in a 115–107 OT victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Hawes hit a clutch three pointer with 3.9 seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime. In the 2013–14 season, Hawes was ranked 12th for three point field goal percentage in 2013–14.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2014) On February 20, 2014, Hawes was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Earl Clark, Henry Sims and two future second-round picks.
Los Angeles Clippers (2014–2015) On July 9, 2014, Hawes signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. He had a 15-game starting stretch during February and March while teammate Blake Griffin recovered from a staph infection. During this stretch, he tied his season-high of 17 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 8.
Charlotte Hornets (2015–2017) On June 15, 2015, Hawes was traded, along with Matt Barnes, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Lance Stephenson. During the Hornets' 2016 first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Hawes sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
