18 Facts About Spencer Haywood

Spencer Haywood was born on April 22,1949 and is an American former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist.

Spencer Haywood was born on April 22,1949, in Silver City, Mississippi.

Spencer Haywood grew up in poverty and his family worked as sharecroppers, which meant that they lived on someone else's land and worked the land for a share of the crops.

In 1964, Spencer Haywood moved to Detroit, Michigan residing in the Krainz Woods neighborhood.

In 1967, while attending Pershing High School, Spencer Haywood led the school's basketball team to the state championship.

Spencer Haywood decided to turn pro after his sophomore year, but National Basketball Association rules, which then required a player to wait until four years after his high school class graduated, prohibited him from entering the league.

Spencer Haywood joined the Denver Rockets after they selected him in the ABA draft.

Spencer Haywood was named both the ABA Rookie of the Year and ABA MVP during the season, and became the youngest ever recipient of the MVP at the age of 21.

Spencer Haywood won the ABA's 1970 All-Star Game MVP that year after recording 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots for the West team.

In 1970, despite the NBA's eligibility rules, Haywood joined the Seattle SuperSonics, and with SuperSonics owner Sam Schulman launched an antitrust suit against the league.

Spencer Haywood was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1972 and 1973 and the All-NBA Second Team in 1974 and 1975.

Spencer Haywood played in four NBA All-Star Games while with Seattle, including a strong 23-point, 11-rebound performance in 1974.

Spencer Haywood later played for the New Orleans Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and Washington Bullets.

Spencer Haywood was dismissed from the Lakers by then-coach Paul Westhead during the 1980 NBA Finals for falling asleep during practice due to his addiction.

The next season Spencer Haywood played in Italy for Reyer Venezia Mestre along with Drazen Dalipagic before returning to the NBA to play two seasons with the Washington Bullets.

Spencer Haywood remarried in 1990, and he and his wife, Linda, have three daughters.

Spencer Haywood was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2015.

Spencer Haywood is a huge fan of jazz and has hosted weekly two-hour weekend jazz shows in Seattle and New York.