Spenser Haywood timeline

Haywood timeline

April 22, 1949 — Born on his father's birthday in Silver City, Miss.

September 1962 — Already 6 feet 6 at age 13, recruited to play basketball at McNair High in Belzoni, Miss.

May 1963 — Saves $17.50 for bus fare to move to Chicago alone.

1964 — Meets James and Ida Bell, who welcome him into their northeast Detroit home. He attends Pershing High School, which was 60 percent white.

March 1967 — The Pershing Doughboys become the first Michigan public school in 37 years to win the state championship.

1967-68 — Attended Trinidad State Junior College in Alamosa, Colo., averaging 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds.

Oct. 13-25, 1968 — Shoots a USA Basketball-record 71.9 percent from the field, leading the team to the Olympic gold medal at the Olympics in Mexico City.

1968-69 — Plays for the University of Detroit, averaging 32.1 points and leading the nation in rebounding at 21.5.

1969-1970 — Bypasses his final two seasons of college to sign with the ABA's Denver Rockets and was named Rookie of the Year and MVP, averaging a league-leading 30.0 points and a league-record 19.5 rebounds.

Dec. 30, 1970 — Sonics owner Sam Schulman signs Haywood to a six-year, $1.5 million contract, but the NBA sues because Haywood violated rules stating a player can't join the league until he is four years out of high school.

March 1971 — Supreme Court rules in a 7-2 decision against the NBA, establishing the "hardship rule."

1971 — Purchases a radio station in Seattle, KYAC, and plays jazz on weekends; attends classes at the University of Washington.

March 26, 1972 — Finishes his first full NBA season fourth in the league in scoring (26.2); named to his first of five All-Star appearances.

April 1975 — Leads Sonics to first playoff appearance, losing to eventual NBA champion Golden State, 4-2.

Oct. 23, 1975 — Traded to New York Knicks for $2 million and Eugene Short. Leaves as Sonics' leader in career scoring average (24.9) and rebounding average (12.1) in five seasons.

1975 — Earns $500,000 as highest-paid player in NBA.

1978 — Marries supermodel Iman, pregnant with their daughter and needing a green card so she won't be sent back to Somalia, after short courtship.

1979 — Traded to the New Orleans Jazz for Joe C. Meriweather.

Aug. 13, 1979 — Traded to L.A. Lakers for Adrian Dantley.

1980 — Wears No. 31 in Los Angeles because of "Big Three" with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) and Magic Johnson (32).

Summer 1980 — Height of his cocaine addiction, and is kicked off Lakers playoff team for "disruptive behavior."

1980-1981 — Banned by NBA for drug use, plays in Venice, Italy.

1981-1982 — Signs with Washington Bullets.

March 1983 — Cut by Bullets and retires from the NBA, averaging 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds.

1986 — Starts Spencer Haywood Foundation.

Feb. 13, 1987 — Divorce from Iman finalized and takes custody of their 8-year-old daughter.

November 1990 — Marries current wife, Linda.

May 31, 1991 — Daughter Shaakira, first of three girls for the couple, is born.

1992 — Publishes autobiography, "Spencer Haywood: The Rise, The Fall, The Recovery."

1998 — Started an auto-parts factory in Toledo that made ashtrays, side view mirrors and other gadgets for cars.

2005 — Established American Community Builders, a construction subsidiary of Haywood Group LLC that renovates hotels and builds homes in Las Vegas.

Monday — Will have Sonics jersey No. 24 retired.

Jayda Evans