30 points and 19 rebounds PER GAME.
That was the stat line for his rookie – and ultimately solitary – season in Denver for Basketball Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood. The undergraduate was denied entry into the NBA (due to age-restriction rules which Haywood challenged in court, and won) after he decided to leave the University of Detroit and managed to find his way up to Denver to play for the ABA’s Rockets in 1969. Haywood was familiar with Colorado as he spent his freshman year of college at Trinidad State College.
What followed was the single greatest season in Denver Rockets/Nuggets franchise history as the bruising, yet quick Haywood dominated the league. The Rockets won 51 games that season and fell short of the ABA Finals. No player in the history of the Denver franchise has dominated statistically like Haywood did.
Ultimately, Haywood would leave after a dispute over his contract with owner Bill Ringsby. In his conversation with me, Haywood remembers fondly the fans of Denver (41 straight sellouts at old Auditorium Arena) and how good that Rockets teams was. It was nice to chat with someone who was such a huge part of Nuggets and NBA History. Like it or not, Haywood is the reason the NBA started allowing underclassmen to enter the league.
Above is my interview – filmed by Ryan Greene – when the Nuggets honored the ABA players. Ralph Simpson and Chuck Williams were also honored.
Enjoy!