I lied to Connie Hawkins.

True story. In fact, not only did I lie to Mr. Hawkins, I took his money - and I did it without a single ounce of regret. So why would I name my blog after him (and make it a Church in his honor, at that)?

Because I'm really Donald Sterling?

Well, you see, I did it legally and with Mr. Hawkins knowing there was every chance that I was being dishonest with him. I played a lot of poker in college, and Mr. Hawkins used to play poker at Casino Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ. Whenever I had a free weekend (or a class that needed ditching), a friend or two and myself would make the 100-mile trip up to the casino instead of playing in the smaller stakes games in Tucson. I don't remember any specific hands that Mr. Hawkins and I played, but I do remember 3 distinct things:

Connie Hawkins knows the meaning of

Life, the Universe, and Everything

• Connie Hawkins is one of the nicest people I've ever met. He took time to shake hands and converse with everyone that came up to him, many of whom were unsure that it was really Connie Hawkins until they saw his ABA ring.

• That ring was often on a finger on a hand that tended to eclipse the lights inside the casino whenever Mr. Hawkins waved to one of his friends or fans. I always found that fitting for a player I associate with the Suns.

• Mr. Hawkins was at the casino shortly after Kobe Bryant's 81-point game. I asked him what he thought. He smiled his wide smile and said one word. "Impressive," and then he laughed and insisted that we return our attention to the poker game.

My goal in writing this blog is to focus on the positive in the NBA and to not speculate, prognosticate, or demean people who don't deserve it (Donald Sterling is and always will be fair game). When I think of kindness and positive people in the NBA, I think of Connie Hawkins because of the kindness I saw him show in a casino - so this blog is named after him. Mr. Hawkins only ever played in the 4/8 Omaha Hi-Lo Split game as far as I saw - a game where people tended to push money around and, at the end of the day, the casino was the only real winner. That game had all of the characters one usually associates with a poker game, but I'll never forget my opportunities to lie to Connie Hawkins.