IN OCTOBER 1991, the legendary Chicago Bulls were invited to the White House to meet president George Bush, having just won the National Basketball Association (NBA) finals.

[[{"fid":"24671","view_mode":"inlineright","fields":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-inlineright","data-delta":"1"}}]]Shooting guard Craig Hodges, with years of experience in the NBA players’ union, civil activism in the causes of employment rights, brutal poverty and racial discrimination, used the opportunity to personally hand Bush a letter calling for greater governmental effort to tackle those burning issues.

Hodges wore a dashiki, they shot hoops and Bush promised to reply. He never did. But eight months later, after winning the second NBA final in July 1992, Hodges was unceremoniously let go. Despite still being at a peak of his powers he would never play for an NBA team again.