Spencer Haywood facts for kids

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Spencer Haywood

Haywood at Nellis Air Force Base in 2006

Personal information

Born

April 22, 1949 (age 76)
Silver City, Mississippi, U.S.

High school

Pershing (Detroit, Michigan)

Listed height

6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

Listed weight

225 lb (102 kg)

Career information

College

Trinidad State (1967–1968)
Detroit Mercy (1968–1969)

NBA Draft

1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall

Selected by the Buffalo Braves

Pro career

1969–1983

Career history

1969–1970

1970–1975

1975–1979

1979

1979–1980

1980–1981

Reyer Venezia

1981–1983

Washington Bullets

Career highlights and awards

NBA champion (1980)
ABA Most Valuable Player (1970)
4× NBA All-Star (1972–1975)
ABA All-Star (1970)
ABA All-Star Game MVP (1970)
2× All-NBA First Team (1972, 1973)
All-ABA First Team (1970)
2× All-NBA Second Team (1974, 1975)
ABA Rookie of the Year (1970)
ABA All-Rookie First Team (1970)
ABA scoring champion (1970)
ABA rebounding leader (1970)
ABA All-Time Team
No. 24 retired by Seattle SuperSonics
Consensus first-team All-American (1969)
No. 45 retired by Detroit Mercy Titans
NCAA rebounding leader (1969)
Mr. Basketball USA (1967)

Career ABA and NBA statistics

Points

17,111 (20.3 ppg)

Rebounds

8,675 (10.3 rpg)

Assists

1,541 (1.8 apg)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1968 Mexico City	Team competition

Spencer Haywood (born April 22, 1949) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He also won a gold medal at the Olympics. Haywood is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, joining in 2015.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
College Career and Olympic Gold
Professional Basketball Journey
- ABA Rookie Season Success
- NBA Career and Legal Battle
Honors and Recognition
ABA and NBA Career Statistics
- Regular season
- Playoffs
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

Spencer Haywood was born on April 22, 1949, in Silver City, Mississippi. He grew up in a large family with 10 brothers and sisters. His family worked as sharecroppers, which meant they farmed land owned by someone else.

At age 13, Spencer was the main person earning money for his family. He worked long hours picking cotton. When he was 14, his mother sent him to live with his brother in Chicago. This was because she was worried about his safety.

In 1964, Haywood moved to Detroit, Michigan. He attended Pershing High School and played basketball there. His coach was Will Robinson. By age 16, he was 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He was an amazing player, scoring about 29 points and getting 17 rebounds per game. He was named an all-state player.

In 1967, as a senior, Haywood grew to 6 feet, 8 inches tall. He averaged a quadruple double in games. This means he had at least 10 in four different stats: 25.4 points, 13 rebounds, 14 assists, and 12 blocked shots. He led his team to win the state championship. His high school team is remembered as one of the best in Michigan.

College Career and Olympic Gold

Haywood during his season at Detroit

Haywood first went to Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado. During the 1967–68 season, he averaged 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game. He was named the best junior college player of the year.

In 1968, Spencer Haywood had a special chance to join the Olympic team. Many older college players chose not to play in the Olympics that year. At just 19 years old, Haywood made the U.S. Olympic team. He became the youngest American basketball player in Olympic history.

Haywood was the top scorer for the U.S. team, averaging 16.1 points per game. He helped the team win the gold medal. He also set a Team USA record for shooting accuracy, making 71.9% of his shots. His record of 145 points in the Olympic tournament stood until 2012.

After the Olympics, Haywood transferred to the University of Detroit. In the 1968–69 season, he led all college players in rebounding. He averaged 22.1 rebounds per game and scored 32.1 points per game. He was named an All-American player. This year is seen as one of the best for any basketball player at the University of Detroit. In 1993, Haywood was added to the Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame. The school also retired his jersey number, 45, in 2015.

Haywood decided to become a professional player after his second year of college. However, the National Basketball Association (NBA) had a rule. Players had to wait four years after their high school class graduated to join. The American Basketball Association (ABA) had a similar rule. But the ABA created a special rule for players facing hardship. Since Haywood's family was struggling financially, he met the requirements. He then joined the Denver Rockets in the ABA.

Professional Basketball Journey

ABA Rookie Season Success

In his first professional season (1969–70) with the Denver Rockets, Haywood was incredible. He led the ABA in scoring with 30.0 points per game. He also led the league in rebounding with 19.5 rebounds per game. He helped the Rockets win the ABA's Western Division Title.

Haywood was named both the ABA Rookie of the Year and the ABA MVP that season. At 21 years old, he became the youngest player ever to win the MVP award. He set all-time ABA records for most field goals made, most rebounds, and highest rebound average in a single season. Haywood also won the ABA All-Star Game MVP award.

NBA Career and Legal Battle

In 1970, Spencer Haywood joined the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA. This was despite the NBA's rules about player eligibility. Haywood and the SuperSonics' owner, Sam Schulman, filed a lawsuit against the league. This case, called Haywood v. National Basketball Association, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court decided in favor of Haywood.

This important ruling changed basketball forever. It allowed players to join the NBA directly from high school or before finishing college. This opened the door for many future stars, like LeBron James.

Haywood was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1972 and 1973. He was also on the All-NBA Second Team in 1974 and 1975. He still holds several single-season records for the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder team. These include most 2-point field goals (1972-73), highest rebounds per game (1973-74), and most minutes per game (1971-72). He also holds the SuperSonics-only record for points per game (29.2 in 1972-73).

Haywood played in four NBA All-Star Games while with Seattle. In the 1974–75 season, he helped the SuperSonics reach the playoffs for the first time. During his five seasons with Seattle, Haywood averaged 24.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

In October 1975, Haywood was traded to the New York Knicks. He played alongside famous players like Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe. He later played for the New Orleans Jazz.

Haywood spent the 1979-80 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. During this time, Haywood faced personal struggles that impacted his career, leading to his departure from the Lakers. After his time with the Lakers, he played in Italy for Reyer Venezia Mestre. He then returned to the NBA for two seasons with the Washington Bullets (1981-83).

After his playing career, Spencer Haywood became a strong supporter for retired ABA and NBA players. He worked to help them get health benefits and pensions. He also led the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Honors and Recognition

Spencer Haywood was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2015. Basketball legend Charles Barkley played a big part in supporting Haywood's induction.

The NBA honored Haywood during the 2010 All-Star weekend. This was to recognize his important legal efforts that changed the league.

The Seattle SuperSonics retired Haywood's number 24 jersey in a special ceremony on February 26, 2007. This means no other player on that team can wear that number.

ABA and NBA Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

†	Denotes seasons in which Haywood's team won an NBA championship
*	Led the league
*	ABA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1969–70	Denver (ABA)	84*	—	45.3*	.493	.000	.776	19.5*	2.3	—	—	30.0*
1970–71	Seattle (NBA)	33	—	35.2	.449	—	.734	12.0	1.5	—	—	20.6
1971–72	Seattle (NBA)	73	—	43.4	.461	—	.819	12.7	2.0	—	—	26.2
1972–73	Seattle (NBA)	77	—	42.3	.476	—	.839	12.9	2.5	—	—	29.2
1973–74	Seattle (NBA)	75	—	40.5	.457	—	.814	13.4	3.2	0.9	1.4	23.5
1974–75	Seattle (NBA)	68	—	37.2	.459	—	.811	9.3	2.0	0.8	1.6	22.4
1975–76	New York (NBA)	78	—	37.1	.445	—	.757	11.3	1.2	0.7	1.0	19.9
1976–77	New York	31	—	32.9	.450	—	.832	9.0	1.6	0.5	0.9	16.5
1977–78	New York	67	—	26.3	.484	—	.711	6.6	1.9	0.6	1.1	13.7
1978–79	New York	34	—	30.1	.489	—	.733	6.1	1.6	0.3	0.9	17.8
1978–79	New Orleans	34	—	39.4	.497	—	.849	9.6	2.1	0.9	1.6	24.0
1979–80†	L.A. Lakers	76	—	20.3	.487	.250	.772	4.6	1.2	0.5	0.8	9.7
1981–82	Washington	76	63	27.4	.476	.000	.842	5.6	0.8	0.6	0.9	13.3
1982–83	Washington	38	25	20.4	.401	.000	.724	4.8	0.8	0.3	0.7	8.2
Career		844	88	34.8	.469	.051	.796	10.3	1.8	0.6	1.1	20.3
All-Star		5	4	27.2	.462	—	.846	10.0	1.6	0.0	0.4	14.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1970	Denver (ABA)	12	—	47.3	.511	.200	.831	19.8	3.3	—	—	36.7
1975	Seattle (NBA)	9	—	37.4	.359	—	.770	9.0	2.0	0.8	1.2	15.7
1978	New York	6	—	29.5	.506	—	1.000	7.0	2.0	0.3	0.8	16.2
1980†	L.A. Lakers	11	—	13.2	.472	.000	.813	2.4	0.4	0.0	0.5	5.7
1982	Washington	7	—	33.0	.496	—	.743	5.6	1.0	0.6	2.0	20.0
Career		45	—	32.4	.479	.167	.806	9.4	1.8	0.4	1.1	19.6

Personal Life

Spencer Haywood lives in Las Vegas. He was married to fashion model Iman from 1977 to 1987. They have a daughter named Zulekha. He remarried in 1990 to Linda, and they have three daughters: Courtney Nikkiah, Shaakira, and Isis Chanel. As of early 2024, he has three grandchildren. His wife Linda passed away in 2022.

Haywood was a lifelong friend of Lonnie Lynn, who was his teammate on the Denver Rockets. He is also the godfather of Lynn's son, the famous rapper Common.

Spencer Haywood loves jazz music. He used to host two-hour jazz radio shows on weekends in Seattle and New York.

Haywood was shown in the first season of the HBO show, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Actor Wood Harris played him in the series.