Spencer Haywood started his professional career in the ABA playing for the Denver Rockets. He was phenomenal in his first year, averaging 30 points and an ABA record 19.5 rebounds per game. As Spencer moved to the NBA in the years after his ABA career, he acclimated well and became a superstar player.
He started to falter in the late 1970s because of his substance abuse. Haywood even got dismissed by Lakers coach Paul Westhead during the 1980 NBA Finals, as the 6’8” forward fell asleep during practice. He still regrets it because it cost him his position as a top-tier NBA player and drew disdain from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .
“I watched myself from a player of great potential to nothing of a player,” Haywood said in an interview after his playing career.
Haywood pivoted to helping people
As he acknowledged his problem, Haywood realized he should make a difference elsewhere. After rehab, Spencer returned to Detroit and set up a foundation to help the less fortunate learn more job skills to support themselves.
It was a fantastic pivot for Haywood because he knew he could make a difference. He wanted to help people because he learned a lot from his ordeal. It was not the best situation he put himself in, but he was lucky enough to escape his problems, so he wanted to help other people in need to escape theirs.
“When I see people in the computer classes and I see people in different programs, who are now getting a fresh start, that’s me,” Haywood reflected on how he affected people within the community. “ Dr. J. I got a chance to sit down and we were talking about my career. He also said ‘Thank you for what you did to me.’ I was like ‘What did I do for you?’ He said ‘I was talking about the hardship, I never thanked you.’”
Haywood has a lasting basketball legacy
While he struggled to overcome the issue that plagued the end of his career, Haywood recovered well and maintained his reputation as a fantastic player. Whenever people look back on his career, they can see a superb player who was stellar during his prime.
Spencer was one of the most athletic players in the game, and he used that to his advantage with his scoring and rebounding. Despite being only 6’8” and 225 pounds, Haywood was a fantastic power forward who knew how to play hard and outwork his opponents.
His 1970 ABA campaign is still one of the best single-season performances of any professional basketball player. Haywood broke records in the ABA and kept up that momentum as he moved to the NBA and cemented himself as a star there. Thankfully, Spencer has recovered his reputation as a star player because he was sad about how he ended his career on a sour note.
Related: “He would just absorb all the punishment and smile” - Why Spencer Haywood was in awe when playing against George “The Iceman” Gervin
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