Tommy Hawkins, who was the first black basketball player to earn All-America honors at Notre Dame and who played for the Los Angeles Lakers during a 10-year N.B.A. career, died on Wednesday at his home in Malibu, Calif. He was 80.
His son Kevin told The Associated Press that Hawkins had died in his sleep, adding that he had been in good health.
Hawkins graduated from Notre Dame in 1959 after playing three years on the basketball team. He had 1,318 career rebounds for the university, the longest-standing record in Fighting Irish history.
He was named to Notre Dame’s All-Century team in 2004 and inducted into its Ring of Honor in 2015.