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Elvin Hayes
	Hayes with the Washington Bullets in 1975
Personal information
Born	November 17, 1945 (age 79); Rayville, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school	Eula D. Britton (Rayville, Louisiana)
College	Houston (1965–1968)
NBA draft	1968: 1st round, 1st overall pick
	Selected by the San Diego Rockets
Playing career	1968–1984
Position	Power forward / center
Number	11, 44
Career history
As player:
1968–1972	San Diego / Houston Rockets
1972–1981	Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets
1981–1984	Houston Rockets
As coach:
1984	Houston Shamrocks
Career highlights and awards
	NBA champion (1978); 12× NBA All-Star (1969–1980); 3× All-NBA First Team (1975, 1977, 1979); 3× All-NBA Second Team (1973, 1974, 1976); 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1974, 1975); NBA All-Rookie First Team (1969); NBA scoring champion (1969); 2× NBA rebounding leader (1970, 1974); No. 11 retired by Washington Wizards; No. 44 retired by Houston Rockets; NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th); Associated Press Player of the Year (1968); UPI Player of the Year (1968); Sporting News Player of the Year (1968); 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1967, 1968); No. 44 retired by Houston Cougars;
Career statistics
Points	27,313 (21.0 ppg)
Rebounds	16,279 (12.5 rpg)
Blocks	1,771 (2.0 bpg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference
	Basketball Hall of Fame
	Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "The Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and an inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Known for both his offensive and defensive prowess, Hayes is often regarded as one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Hayes is also known for his longevity, being seventh all-time in NBA minutes played (at exactly 50,000), and missing only nine games during his 16-season career.^[1]

Early life

In Hayes' senior year at Britton High School, he led his team to the state championship, after averaging 35 points a game during the regular season. In the championship game victory, Hayes scored 45 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.^[1]

College career

In 1966, Hayes led the Houston Cougars into the Western Regional semifinals of the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament before the Cougars lost to the Pac-8 champion Oregon State Beavers.

In 1967, Hayes led the Cougars to the Final Four of the 1967 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He would attempt 31 field goals, score 25 points, and get 24 rebounds in a 73–58 semifinal loss to the eventual champion UCLA Bruins featuring Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Hayes' rebounding total is second to Bill Russell's Final Four record of 27.^[2]^[3]

On January 20, 1968, Hayes and the Houston Cougars faced Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins in the first-ever nationally televised regular-season college basketball game. In front of a record 52,693 fans at the Houston Astrodome, Hayes scored 39 points and had 15 rebounds while limiting Alcindor to just 15 points as Houston beat UCLA 71–69 to snap the Bruins' 47-game winning streak in what has been called the "Game of the Century". That game helped Hayes earn The Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year.

In the rematch to the "Game of the Century", Hayes faced Alcindor and UCLA in the 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. UCLA coach John Wooden had the Bruins play a "triangle and two" zone defense with Alcindor playing behind Hayes and Lynn Shackleford fronting him. Hayes was held to 10 points, losing to Alcindor and the Bruins 101–69 in the semi-final.^[3]

Hayes led Houston in scoring in each of three seasons (1966: 27.2 points per game, 1967: 28.4, and 1968: 36.8). For his college career, Hayes averaged 31.0 points per game and 17.2 rebounds per game. He has the most rebounds in NCAA tournament history at 222. While a student at Houston, Hayes was initiated into the Alpha Nu Omega Chapter of the Iota Phi Theta fraternity alongside fellow future Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy.^[4]

With his departure from college, Hayes was the first overall selection in both the 1968 NBA draft and 1968 ABA draft. He was taken by the San Diego Rockets and Houston Mavericks, respectively.

Professional career

San Diego / Houston Rockets (1968–1972)

Hayes joined the NBA with the San Diego Rockets in 1968 and went on to lead the NBA in scoring with 28.4 points per game, averaged 17.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Hayes' scoring average is the fifth best all-time for a rookie, and he remains the last rookie to lead the NBA in scoring average. He scored a career-high 54 points against the Detroit Pistons on November 11, 1968.

In Hayes' second season, he led the NBA in rebounding, becoming the first player other than Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain to lead the category since 1957 (Chamberlain was injured during much of the season). In Hayes' third season, 1970–71, he scored a career-best 28.7 points per game. The Rockets had some inner turmoil because of perceived jealousy, with forward Don Kojis asking for a trade rather than play for owner Bob Breitbard again. Newcomer coach Alex Hannum once labeled Hayes as "spoiled".^[5]

In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston, enabling Hayes to play in the city of his college triumphs. However, the one season with Tex Winter as coach did not end well, as his attempts at making him a passing center did not result in success.

Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets (1972–1981)

After a series of conflicts with Houston coach Tex Winter, Hayes was traded away to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin and undisclosed considerations on June 23, 1972.^[6]

In the 1974 NBA Playoffs, during the franchise's only year called the Capital Bullets, Hayes averaged postseason career-bests of 25.9 points and 15.9 rebounds per game in a Bullets 4–3 first round series loss to the New York Knicks.^[7]

Hayes, along with co-star Wes Unseld, led the Washington Bullets to three NBA Finals appearances (1975, 1978 and 1979), and an NBA title over the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978. On March 3, 1978, Hayes set a career-high of 11 blocks in a single game, while also scoring 22 points and grabbing 27 rebounds, in a 124–108 win over the Detroit Pistons.^[8] During the Bullets' championship run that postseason, while aided by the addition of Bob Dandridge, Hayes averaged 21.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in 21 playoff games, as Washington won their only NBA title to date.

Hayes set an NBA Finals record for most offensive rebounds in a game (11), the following year, in a May 27, 1979 game against the SuperSonics. The Chicago Bulls' Dennis Rodman would tie this record twice, both games coming in the 1996 NBA Finals, also against the SuperSonics.

Return to the Rockets (1981–1984)

Desiring to finish his playing career in Texas and preferably Houston, Hayes was sent back to the Rockets for second-round draft picks in 1981 (Charles Davis) and 1983 (Sidney Lowe) on June 8, 1981.^[9]^[10]

Coaching career

After his playing career ended in 1984, Hayes was hired as the head coach of the Houston Shamrocks of the newly founded Women's American Basketball Association. However, Hayes only lasted two weeks and resigned after coaching the team for one game.^[11]

After basketball

Shortly after finishing his career in the NBA, Hayes returned to the University of Houston to finish the last 30 credit hours of his undergraduate degree. When interviewed about the experience, Hayes mentioned, "I played 16 years of pro basketball, but this is the hardest thing I've ever done."^[12]

In November 2007, Hayes became a Liberty County, Texas, sheriff's deputy, fulfilling a childhood dream.^[13] On November 22, 2010, it was announced that he would serve as an analyst for radio broadcasts of Houston Cougars games on Houston's KBME.^[14]

Hayes had his #44 jersey retired by the Houston Rockets on November 18, 2022.^[15]

Personal life

Raised a Methodist, Hayes converted to Catholicism in the 1970s. During a moment of doubt, he went with his wife to a Pentecostal church. Encouraged by words about being answered in the open, he enclosed himself in his room with the Bible for days before claiming to be infused with the holy spirit.^[16]

Stats and honors

In his career with the San Diego / Houston Rockets and the Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets, Hayes played 1,303 games over 16 seasons, registering 27,313 points (twelfth all-time) and 16,279 rebounds (fourth all-time). He is the all-time leading scorer for the Washington Bullets/Wizards. Hayes never missed more than two games in any of his 16 seasons in the NBA. In addition to his 1968 scoring title, he led the NBA in rebounding in 1970 and 1974. Hayes played in 12 straight NBA All-Star Games from 1969 to 1980. He retired holding the NBA record for total regular-season minutes played, with exactly 50,000.

Hayes was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and voted to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.^[17] He boycotted the Hall of Fame beginning in 1990 and refused to return until Guy Lewis, his coach at the University of Houston, was admitted.^[18]

In 2003, Hayes was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame, which honors San Diego's finest athletes.^[19]

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
†	Won an NBA championship	*	Led the league

Regular season


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1968–69	San Diego	82	—	45.1	.447	—	.626	17.1	1.4	—	—	28.4*
1969–70	San Diego	82*	—	44.7*	.452	—	.688	16.9*	2.0	—	—	27.5
1970–71	San Diego	82	—	44.3	.428	—	.672	16.6	2.3	—	—	28.7
1971–72	Houston	82	—	42.2	.434	—	.649	14.6	3.3	—	—	25.2
1972–73	Baltimore	81	—	32.1	.444	—	.671	14.1	1.6	—	—	21.2
1973–74	Capital	81	—	44.5*	.423	—	.721	18.1*	2.0	1.1	3.0	21.4
1974–75	Washington	82	—	42.3	.443	—	.766	12.2	2.5	1.9	2.3	23.0
1975–76	Washington	80	—	37.2	.470	—	.628	11.0	1.5	1.3	2.5	19.8
1976–77	Washington	82	—	41.0	.501	—	.687	12.5	1.9	1.1	2.7	23.7
1977–78†	Washington	81	—	40.1	.451	—	.634	13.3	1.8	1.2	2.0	19.7
1978–79	Washington	82	—	37.9	.487	—	.654	12.1	1.7	.9	2.3	21.8
1979–80	Washington	81	—	39.3	.454	.231	.699	11.1	1.6	.8	2.3	23.0
1980–81	Washington	81	—	36.2	.451	.000	.617	9.7	1.2	.8	2.1	17.8
1981–82	Houston	82	82	37.0	.472	.000	.664	9.1	1.8	.8	1.3	16.1
1982–83	Houston	81	43	28.4	.476	.500	.683	7.6	2.0	.6	1.0	12.9
1983–84	Houston	81	4	12.3	.406	.000	.652	3.2	.9	.2	.3	5.0
Career ^[20]		1,303	129	38.4	.452	.147	.670	12.5	1.8	1.0	2.0	21.0
All-Star^[20]		12	4	22.0	.403	—	.647	7.7	1.4	–	–	10.5

Playoffs


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1969	San Diego	6	—	46.3	.526	—	.660	13.8	.8	—	—	25.8
1973	Baltimore	5	—	45.6	.505	—	.697	11.4	1.0	—	—	25.8
1974	Capital	7	—	46.1	.531	—	.707	15.9	3.0	0.7	2.1	25.9
1975	Washington	17	—	44.2	.468	—	.677	10.9	2.2	1.5	2.3	25.5
1976	Washington	7	—	43.6	.443	—	.582	12.6	1.4	.7	4.0	20.0
1977	Washington	9	—	45.0	.563	—	.695	13.6	1.9	1.1	2.4	21.0
1978†	Washington	21	—	41.3	.491	—	.594	13.3	2.0	1.5	2.5	21.8
1979	Washington	19	—	41.4	.429	—	.669	14.0	5.0	.9	2.7	22.5
1980	Washington	2	—	46.0	.390	—	.800	11.0	3.0	.0	2.0	20.0
1982	Houston	3	—	41.3	.340	—	.533	10.0	1.0	.7	3.3	14.0
Career		96	—	43.3	.464	—	.652	13.0	1.9	1.1	2.6	22.9