19. 1968: Elvin Hayes, San Diego Rockets
If you’re a younger NBA fan and you decide to watch some Elvin Hayes footage to try and figure out what made him so great, you may come away a bit underwhelmed. Any Hayes highlight reel will pepper you with a barrage of faceup jumpers over defenders, hooks under the basket, and the occasional dunk.
With today’s eyes, Hayes’ game doesn’t elicit a ton of excitement. But that style made him one of the best forwards in NBA history.
Before going pro, Hayes cut his teeth at the University of Houston where he put up an insane 31.0/17.2 stat line while shooting 53.6 percent from the field. It was at Houston where Hayes gained national acclaim, as his performance against UCLA — scoring 39 points and grabbing 15 rebounds while holding a young Lew Alcindor to just 15 points — helped the Cougars snap the Bruins’ 47 game win streak. Media dubbed it “The Game of the Century” and Hayes became a household name.
Hayes’ play at Houston made him the number one overall pick in the NBA and the ABA, as the then-San Diego Rockets and Houston Mavericks used their respective draft picks on him in 1968. Ultimately, he chose the NBA, and he immediately became a double-double machine. As a rookie in 1968-69, he led the NBA in scoring with 28.4 points per game. As of 2018, he is the last rookie to accomplish this feat.
Hayes was traded to the Baltimore (later Washington) Bullets in 1972, where he formed a dominant frontcourt with the man taken right after him in the ’68 draft: Wes Unseld. They were a perfect match, as Unseld’s stout defense and phenomenal playmaking skills (for a center) meshed well with Hayes’ scoring prowess. The combo led the Bullets to three NBA Finals appearances in 1975, 1978, and 1979, with the team winning in 1978.
Hayes closed out his career with the Rockets, who were now based in Houston, where he received limited playing time (aside from when the team tried to tank for fellow Houston alum Hakeem Olajuwon).