21.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 2.0 BLKS, 45 FG%, 67 FT%
“One of the most talented power forwards ever to play the game, Elvin Hayes used his trademark turnaround jumper and aggressive defense to win a secure place in the NBA record books. Fifth on the all-time list in games (1,303) and third in minutes played (50,000), he missed only nine contests in his 16 years in the league, a tribute to his durability and conditioning.
An All-Star for each of his first 12 seasons, he scored more points (27,313) than any other player in NBA history except for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Moses Malone. He also ranks fourth on the league’s all-time rebounding list with 16,279 boards.
Hayes was immensely popular with fans, who appreciated his dominating style of play as well as his persona off the court. But he was less endearing to coaches and teammates. Critics felt he had an attitude problem that sometimes short-circuited the teams he played for and gave him a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality.
The roots of what some would call his abrasive personality, as well as his offensive playing style, can be traced back to his childhood in Rayville, Louisiana. It was then (and still is) a sleepy cotton town with a population of 5,000. Although racial prejudice was “thick as cotton in a field” and abuses against African-Americans were rampant, Hayes’s father taught him the value of pride and the need to demand respect.” [Read]
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[Sources: NBA.com, Basketball-Reference.com]
