About Elvin Hayes
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, a high school champion in basketball, was recruited to play for the Houston Cougars; Hayes and Don Chaney were the first African American basketball players for the program. Hayes went to the Final Four twice in his college career while averaging over thirty points a game. His 222 rebounds in the NCAA tournament is still the most by a player in history. Drafted by both the NBA and the ABA, Hayes picked the San Diego Rockets in 1968, averaging over 28 points per game that currently ranks as the last time a rookie has led the NBA in scoring average. In his first four seasons, he averaged 25 points per game each time but conflicts with coaching led to his trade to the Baltimore Bullets in 1972. In his nine seasons with the team in Baltimore and Washington, Hayes and his durable presence aided the team to three NBA Finals appearances (1975, 1978, 1979). In the playoff run for 1978, Hayes had the most points for all players in the playoffs and averaged over 21 points and 12 rebounds per game; in the Finals against Seattle, he had more points than every player and had the second most rebounds as the Bullets won Game 7 for their only championship. His 11 offensive rebounds in Game 3 of the 1979 NBA Finals is an NBA Finals record that has been tied but never surpassed. Hayes was traded back to the Rockets in 1981, where he played his final three seasons. Among the individual accolades achieved by Hayes include 12 NBA All-Star Game selections, three All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team honors each, two NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors, one NBA scoring title, and two NBA rebounding titles. Hayes is also known for his longevity, being seventh in NBA minutes played (at exactly 50,000), and missing only nine games during his 16-season career. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Subsequently, Lewis recruited Hayes and Don Chaney who was from Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the University of Houston's first African American basketball players. Hayes' rebounding total is second to Bill Russell's Final Four record of 27. Hayes is also known for his longevity, being seventh in NBA minutes played, and missing only nine games during his 16-season career.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.