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the spencer haywood rule: battles, basketball, and the making of an american iconoclast
Written by: Marc J. Spears and Gary Washburn
From picking cotton in rural Mississippi to the historic 1968 Olympics to ABA MVP to the battle with the NBA that would go all the way to the Supreme Court and change the league forever, Spencer Haywood’s life has been a microcosm of 20th century sports and culture.
Marc Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated and Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tell the remarkable story of a man who was born into indentured servitude in rural Mississippi, and all of the unbelievable trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and redemptions that followed.
Haywood would go on to be the ABA Rookie of the Year and MVP, but his triumphs on the court are only part of the legend. His winding journey off the court saw him challenge the NBA’s draft-entry rules and win at the Supreme Court level; run in New York City high-fashion circles in the mid-1970s with his then-wife, supermodel Iman; and bottom out with alcohol and drug addiction during the infancy of the Showtime Lakers dynasty. Spears and Washburn explore how Haywood’s impact was felt throughout the NBA and in society at large—and still is to this day—culminating in Haywood’s inspiring second act as an advocate for current and retired NBA players alike.
The Spencer Haywood Foundation
A 501(C)(3) Certified Non-Profit Organization
Our mission is to support nonprofits pursuing social justice initiatives and organizations that provide health counseling, and education, welfare, and sports development opportunities in marginalized communities.
SPENCER HAYWOOD RULE
Pillars
Physical Fitness + Wellness
– Camps workout regimens
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Continuing Education
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– Legal Defense and Education
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over the years
Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games
Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Mexico City that took place October 12–27, 1968. The Mexico City Games were the 16th occurrence of the modern Olympic Games.
The 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City were the most politically charged Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin. Ten days before the Games were to open, students protesting the Mexican government’s use of funds for the Olympics rather than for social programs were surrounded in the Plaza of Three Cultures by the army and fired upon. More than 200 protesters were killed and over a thousand injured. At the victory ceremony for the men’s 200-metre run, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood barefoot, each with head bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest of the living conditions of minorities in the United States. Officials from the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee judged the display to be counter to the ideals of the Games; both athletes were banned from the Olympic Village and sent home.
Britannica
Photos: Getty Images, Bettman Archive, Undefeated, Colorado Springs Gazette
the big man from silver city, ms
One of the most dominant big men of his era, Haywood burst onto the international scene with a revelatory performance at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Yet, while his basketball career was just beginning back in that summer of ’68, it was only one notable moment in the extraordinary and fateful life of the big man from Silver City, Mississippi.
Marc J. Spears and Gary Washburn
NBA
Haywood v. National Basketball Association
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided March 1, 1971
Spencer Haywood turned pro after his sophomore season at the University of Detroit, joining the American Basketball Association’s (ABA) Denver Rockets and leading the league in scoring (30.0 per game) and rebounding (19.5 per game) in 1969-70 before jumping to the NBA the following season. Seattle SuperSonics owner Sam Schulman signed Haywood to a six-year, $1.5 million contract, ignoring the rule that a player cannot join the league until he is four years out of high school. As a result, the NBA threatened to disallow the contract and implement various sanctions against the SuperSonics.
Haywood challenged this decision by commencing an antitrust action against the NBA. As part of his claim against the NBA, Haywood argued that the conduct of the NBA was a “group boycott” and a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The central issue that had to be determined was whether the NBA draft policy was a restraint on trade and therefore was illegal in accordance with the Sherman Act.
The NBA appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which stayed the injunction. Joined by the SuperSonics, Haywood appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the District Court, reinstated that court’s injunction against the NBA, and remanded the case to the District Court for further proceedings.
Full Case Name
In re Spencer Haywood v. National Basketball Association
Citations
401 U.S. 1204
91 S. Ct. 672; 28 L. Ed. 2d 206
Holding
Haywood was granted an injunction pendente lite which allowed him to play for Seattle and forbade the NBA to take sanctions against the Seattle team.
Court Membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · William O. Douglas
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Case Opinion
Majority Douglas
Laws Applied
Sherman Antitrust Act
Wikipedia
Press
The Godfather of One and Done
AMS Pictures
Hall of fame Enshrinement speech
Official Hoophall
NBA Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood on NBA players’ activism
MSNBC
The Jump: The Spencer Haywood Rule
Detroit Mercy Athletics
Inside The NBA
TNT
The Redemption of Spencer Haywood
Erick Galindo
Happy 71st Birthday
ESPN
The road from Spencer Haywood to LeBron to the Lakers’ 17th NBA championship
Click to Read The Article…
LA Times
New York Post
The Legends Brunch
National Basketball Legends Retired Players Association
Shaquille O’Neal with Spencer Haywood