Men’s Warehouse partnered with Taylor Rapp
4 years ago
United States Elvin Hayes is an American former professional basketball player and a Hall of Famer, known for his dominance as a power forward and center.
Nike's early efforts to compete in the basketball market in the 1970s included engaging prominent players. Elvin Hayes was part of the initial wave of NBA players that Nike pursued for shoe sponsorships to gain a foothold against established brands like Converse and Adidas.
Elvin Hayes collaborated with Adidas on the 'Top Ten' line. This partnership involved Hayes teaming up with the Houston Rockets in 2022 to develop an all-new Hardwood Classic Jersey for the team, aimed at evoking nostalgia for San Diego Rockets era.
As part of an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) campaign, Elvin Hayes partnered with Actively Black alongside the Houston basketball team. This collaboration resulted in an exclusive T-shirt collection featuring slogans and designs connected to the partnership.
Elvin Ernest Hayes, known as “the Big E”, was born on November 17, 1945, in Rayville, Louisiana. He distinguished himself early in his basketball career, leading Britton High School to a state championship, where he averaged 35 points per game during the regular season and delivered a 45-point, 20-rebound performance in the championship game. His collegiate career at the University of Houston, starting in 1964, marked a significant turning point as he and Don Chaney became the university’s first African American basketball players. Hayes consistently led the Houston Cougars in scoring, averaging 27.2 points in 1966, 28.4 in 1967, and an impressive 36.8 points per game in 1968. He led the Cougars to the Final Four in 1967 and famously contributed to a victory over UCLA in the “Game of the Century” in 1968, scoring 39 points and grabbing 15 rebounds against Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), ending UCLA’s 47-game winning streak. His college career concluded with averages of 31.0 points and 17.2 rebounds per game, and he holds the NCAA tournament record for most rebounds with 222.
Following a stellar college career, Hayes was the first overall selection in both the 1968 NBA draft, chosen by the San Diego Rockets, and the 1968 ABA draft by the Houston Mavericks. He immediately made an impact in the NBA, leading the league in scoring during his rookie season with 28.4 points per game and averaging 17.1 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team. He became the last rookie to lead the NBA in scoring, and in his second season, he led the league in rebounding, breaking a long-standing dominance by Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. After the Rockets moved to Houston in 1971, Hayes was traded to the Baltimore Bullets in 1972, where he formed a formidable frontcourt with Wes Unseld. Together, they led the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets to three NBA Finals appearances, securing an NBA championship in 1978. In that championship run, Hayes averaged 21.8 points and 12.1 rebounds over 21 playoff games.
Hayes’ professional career spanned 16 seasons, playing 1,303 games in total. He holds career totals of 27,313 points and 16,279 rebounds, placing him among the NBA’s all-time leaders in both categories. His dedication was evident in his consistent presence, missing only nine games throughout his entire career and retiring with an NBA record for total regular-season minutes played (50,000). A 12-time NBA All-Star, Hayes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and was named to both the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. After retiring from playing, Hayes briefly coached the Houston Shamrocks and later returned to the University of Houston to complete his degree. He also served as a Liberty County, Texas, sheriff’s deputy and became a radio analyst for Houston Cougars men’s basketball games.
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