Spencer Haywood is a retired NBA legend and future Hall of Famer. Haywood won an Olympic gold medal at the age of 19 before he was even drafted to an NBA team. He was named the ABA All-Star, ABA Most Valuable Player, All-ABA First Team and ABA All- Rookie First Team all during his rookie year with the Denver Rockets in 1970.

Haywood’s controversial career began with what is now known as the NBA’s “early-entry rule." When Haywood was first signed to the NBA by the Sonics, the NBA prohibited the drafting or signing of a player before his college class had graduated.

Since Haywood had not gone through a draft the Sonics had no right to him. After several complaints the NBA took Haywood and the Sonics all the way to the Supreme Court. Haywood argued that as the sole provider in his family he was a “hardship case” therefore entitled to earn his living. The Supreme Court ruled in Haywood’s favor forever altering professional basketball. This year, he celebrates the 40th anniversary of this ruling.

During Haywood’s NBA career he played five seasons with Seattle and led the Sonics to the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history. In 1975, he was traded to New York Knicks and later played with New Orleans Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers, and after two years in Italy the Washington Bullets.

In 1980, he won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Haywood was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1972 and 1973 and the All-NBA Second Team in 1974 and 1975. Haywood’s #24 jersey was retired by the SuperSonics during a halftime ceremony on February 26, 2007. In 2011, the NBA honored him during the NBA All-Star game.

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