Basketball star Spencer Haywood played 12 seasons in the NBA and was a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection. Prior to a professional career, Haywood attended Trinidad State College (CO) during 1967-68, where he averaged 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game. Due to exceptional talent, a young Haywood made the USA Olympic Basketball team in 1968. Haywood was the leading scorer on the USA's gold medal winning basketball team that year at 16.1 points per game, and he set a USA field goal percentage record of .719. Haywood's record of scoring 145 points in the entire tournament established a record that would take more than 40 years to break. 

Haywood then played at the University of Detroit Mercy (MI) from 1968-69 and decided to turn pro after his sophomore year. In alignment with current NBA rules at the time, he was prohibited to enter the league and as a result, joined the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1969. Haywood was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the second round, 30th pick overall, of the 1971 NBA Draft. In addition to his legacy on the court, Haywood changed the business of the game too. Beginning in 1971, underclassmen were allowed to enter the NBA Draft provided they could give evidence of "hardship" to the NBA office. Thus, the Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule was created, which allowed players to leave college for the ABA (American Basketball Association) before graduation if they endured extenuating financial circumstances or family-related needs. 

Haywood is a four-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA First-Team honoree, NBA champion with the 1980 Lakers, one of 95 players with more than 14,000 career points, more than 5,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists, and much more. Haywood notably broke all the single-season ABA (American Basketball Association) records in his only year in the then-professional league, winning 1970 ABA Rookie of the Year, ABA Most Valuable Player, the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, and season Most Valuable Player award. A professional career that spans over a decade, Haywood played with the Denver Rockets, Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Washington Bullets. Haywood retired from playing in 1983. In 2015, Haywood was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.