Adelaide 36ers, 2008-2009
On November 15, 2008, Hodge re-signed with the Adelaide 36ers replacing outgoing import Mark Tyndale. In the first week of his return to the NBL, Hodge won another NBL Player of the Week award for round 10, averaging 26.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal, despite the 36ers losing the two games he played in. This included a dominant performance of 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists against the South Dragons, and the praise of opposition coach Brian Goorjian, who coached the Australian Boomers in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, saying that he was "possibly the best player in the league." On December 30, 2008, Hodge won his second NBL Player of the Week award of the season for round 15, after having scored 31 points (while shooting 13 of 19 from the field at a 68% clip) and pulling 8 rebounds to lead the 36ers in a crucial road victory over the Melbourne Tigers. On January 7, 2009, Hodge sat out of the 36ers' home game against the Wollongong Hawks due to a pay dispute. On January 8, 2009, the Adelaide 36ers held a press conference announcing that they had released Julius Hodge from his contract at the request of his agent.
In 2011 it was revealed Hodge's recruitment had been paid for out of the $27 million Christopher Wayne Fuss had embezzled from Flinders University. On July 8, 2011 Fuss received nine years jail for the theft
Read more about this topic: Julius Hodge