What Spencer Haywood has said about Haywood v. National Basketball Association
5 quotes · 1 episode · May 8, 2026
Spencer Haywood, American former professional basketball player, Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer whose Supreme Court case ended the NBA's four-year rule, has been quoted on Haywood v. National Basketball Association 5 times in 1 episode of Digital Social Hour, most recently on May 8, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Haywood says his Denver Rockets contract deferred most of his pay to late in life, which he considered fraudulent.
“the contract would read that you would get $100,000 per year, and then the rest would be on the back end”
Digital Social Hour: He Took the NBA to the Supreme Court... & Won... | Spencer Haywood | DSH #1955 (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 5:37
Haywood recounts that the NBA, NCAA and ABA tried to break his spirit while his case moved through the courts.
“the league, the NC2A, and the ABA was fighting to break my spirit”
Digital Social Hour: He Took the NBA to the Supreme Court... & Won... | Spencer Haywood | DSH #1955 (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 7:37
Haywood says the Supreme Court found his case to be an example of antitrust violation that barred stopping someone from earning a living.
“this is a prime example of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which meant that you cannot stop a person from making a living in America”
Digital Social Hour: He Took the NBA to the Supreme Court... & Won... | Spencer Haywood | DSH #1955 (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 10:54
Haywood estimates that NBA players have earned $67 billion since 1971 as a result of his ruling.
“The number was $67 billion from 1971 until today”
Digital Social Hour: He Took the NBA to the Supreme Court... & Won... | Spencer Haywood | DSH #1955 (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 34:28
Haywood believes a brief Detroit Pistons tryout that ended after one day was retaliation for his earlier lawsuit.
“they gave me one day of practice and said, oh, you're out of here”
Digital Social Hour: He Took the NBA to the Supreme Court... & Won... | Spencer Haywood | DSH #1955 (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 58:01
Episodes
He Took the NBA to the Supreme Court... & Won... | Spencer Haywood | DSH #1955Digital Social Hour · May 8, 2026 · 1 h 4 min
Basketball Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood tells Sean Kelly about his Supreme Court fight against the NBA, 1968 Olympic gold, racism, addiction, therapy and family.
Spencer Haywood on other topics
- Name, image and likeness rights in college sports · 2 quotes
- National Basketball Players Association · 2 quotes
- NBA expansion · 2 quotes
- Addiction and recovery · 1 quote
- Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty · 1 quote
- Psychotherapy · 1 quote
- Jim Crow laws · 1 quote
- NCAA amateurism · 1 quote