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Elvin Hayes
Elvin Hayes stats, teams and career impact
#97 all-timeCareer averages · 21.0 PPG · 12.5 RPG · 1.8 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Houston Rockets
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) · 235 lb (107 kg)
- Born
- November 17, 1945 (80 yrs old)
- College
- Houston
- NBA seasons
- 16 seasons · 1968–69 to 1983–84
Career summaryElvin Hayes was a power forward who played 16 NBA seasons, from 1968–69 through 1983–84.
- Career PPG
- 21.0
- Career RPG
- 12.5
- Career APG
- 1.8
- #11 in 1974–75
- #97 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Elvin Hayes ranks #97 all time
Elvin Hayes ranks #97 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #11.0. His full-career value ranks #46, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
1,303 games · Career Value Rank #46
NBA honors12× All-Star · 6× All-NBA · 2× All-DefenseContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Elvin Hayes with…
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- Elvin Hayes vs. Dikembe Mutombo Similar career path
- Elvin Hayes vs. Metta World Peace Similar career path
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Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- San Diego Rockets, Houston Rockets, Baltimore Bullets, Capital Bullets, and Washington Bullets
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 45.2%FG%
- Three-point
- 14.7%3P%
- Free throw
- 67.0%FT%
1,303 career games · 50,000 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Elvin Hayes stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1983–84 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 0.9 | -3.80 | HOU | 81 | 4 | 12.3 | 40.6% | 0.0% | 65.2% | #234 | -39.0 |
| 1982–83 | 12.9 | 7.6 | 2.0 | +0.20 | HOU | 81 | 43 | 28.4 | 47.6% | 50.0% | 68.3% | #96 | 107.9 |
| 1981–82 | 16.1 | 9.1 | 1.8 | -0.65 | HOU | 82 | 82 | 37.0 | 47.2% | 0.0% | 66.4% | #136 | 83.1 |
| 1980–81 | 17.8 | 9.7 | 1.2 | -0.62 | WSB | 81 | 0 | 36.2 | 45.1% | 0.0% | 61.7% | #128 | 86.5 |
| 1979–80 | 23.0 | 11.1 | 1.6 | +0.65 | WSB | 81 | 0 | 39.3 | 45.4% | 23.1% | 69.9% | #64 | 180.6 |
| 1978–79 | 21.8 | 12.1 | 1.7 | +1.36 | WSB | 82 | 0 | 37.9 | 48.7% | — | 65.4% | #49 | 231.2 |
| 1977–78 | 19.7 | 13.3 | 1.8 | +0.69 | WSB | 81 | 0 | 40.1 | 45.1% | — | 63.4% | #60 | 196.7 |
| 1976–77 | 23.7 | 12.5 | 1.9 | +2.85 | WSB | 82 | 0 | 41.0 | 50.1% | — | 68.7% | #18 | 359.9 |
| 1975–76 | 19.8 | 11.0 | 1.5 | +1.60 | WSB | 80 | 0 | 37.2 | 47.0% | — | 62.8% | #33 | 233.0 |
| 1974–75 | 23.0 | 12.2 | 2.5 | +3.36 | WSB | 82 | 0 | 42.3 | 44.3% | — | 76.6% | #11 | 410.8 |
| 1973–74 | 21.4 | 18.1 | 2.0 | +2.35 | CAP | 81 | 0 | 44.5 | 42.3% | — | 72.1% | #17 | 347.1 |
| 1972–73 | 21.2 | 14.5 | 1.6 | +0.71 | BAL | 81 | 0 | 41.3 | 44.4% | — | 67.1% | #42 | 205.7 |
| 1971–72 | 25.2 | 14.6 | 3.3 | +3.14 | HOU | 82 | 0 | 42.2 | 43.4% | — | 64.9% | #10 | 424.9 |
| 1970–71 | 28.7 | 16.6 | 2.3 | +2.56 | SDR | 82 | 0 | 44.3 | 42.8% | — | 67.2% | #12 | 409.2 |
| 1969–70 | 27.5 | 16.9 | 2.0 | +2.25 | SDR | 82 | 0 | 44.7 | 45.2% | — | 68.8% | #14 | 405.6 |
| 1968–69 | 28.4 | 17.1 | 1.4 | +1.76 | SDR | 82 | 0 | 45.1 | 44.7% | — | 62.6% | #20 | 358.4 |
| Career | 21.0 | 12.5 | 1.8 | — | BAL/CAP/HOU/SDR/WSB | 1303 | — | 38.4 | 45.2% | 14.7% | 67.0% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Elvin Hayes highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Team career tribute
Elvin Hayes Night
Houston's official tribute combines career context with archival footage of Hayes's turnaround jumper, rebounding and durable interior scoring.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
13.9 composite · lower is better
12.8 average league finish
4,002 total value
Career standing
How Elvin Hayes ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score13.9
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 209.5
- Qualified seasons
- 16
- All-time rank
- #97
Strongest seasons
Every season
Elvin Hayes advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 38 | 81 | 994 | -3.80 | 6.0 | #234 | -39.0 | 6th | Standard |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 37 | 81 | 2,302 | +0.20 | 62.5 | #96 | 107.9 | 70th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 36 | 82 | 3,032 | -0.65 | 46.9 | #136 | 83.1 | 63rd | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 35 | 81 | 2,931 | -0.62 | 48.8 | #128 | 86.5 | 64th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 34 | 81 | 3,183 | +0.65 | 72.7 | #64 | 180.6 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 33 | 82 | 3,105 | +1.36 | 78.9 | #49 | 231.2 | 86th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 32 | 81 | 3,246 | +0.69 | 75.0 | #60 | 196.7 | 86th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 31 | 82 | 3,364 | +2.85 | 93.0 | #18 | 359.9 | 97th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 30 | 80 | 2,975 | +1.60 | 83.0 | #33 | 233.0 | 88th | Broad |
| 1974–75Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 29 | 82 | 3,465 | +3.36 | 94.7 | #11 | 410.8 | 98th | Broad |
| 1973–74Historical Defense Estimate | CAP | 28 | 81 | 3,602 | +2.35 | 90.9 | #17 | 347.1 | 97th | Broad |
| 1972–73Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 27 | 81 | 3,347 | +0.71 | 76.2 | #42 | 205.7 | 84th | Modeled |
| 1971–72Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 26 | 82 | 3,461 | +3.14 | 94.5 | #10 | 424.9 | 97th | Modeled |
| 1970–71Historical Defense Estimate | SDR | 25 | 82 | 3,633 | +2.56 | 93.4 | #12 | 409.2 | 97th | Modeled |
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | SDR | 24 | 82 | 3,665 | +2.25 | 90.8 | #14 | 405.6 | 96th | Modeled |
| 1968–69Historical Defense Estimate | SDR | 23 | 82 | 3,695 | +1.76 | 85.7 | #20 | 358.4 | 93rd | Modeled |
Career movement
Elvin Hayes's career impact by season
Peak +3.36 in 1974–75 · 16 seasons · 50,000 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Elvin HayesLaMarcus Aldridge
| NBA season | Elvin Hayes | LaMarcus Aldridge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.8 | -1.5 |
| 2 | 2.2 | 0.5 |
| 3 | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| 4 | 3.1 | 0.7 |
| 5 | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| 6 | 2.4 | 2.9 |
| 7 | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| 8 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| 9 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| 10 | 0.7 | 1.9 |
| 11 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| 12 | 0.7 | 4.4 |
| 13 | -0.6 | 1.6 |
| 14 | -0.6 | 1.5 |
| 15 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 16 | -3.8 | 0.0 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Elvin Hayes
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PF · All-Time Career #275
LaMarcus Aldridge
91career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1974–75 ↔ 2010–11PF · All-Time Career #243Robert Horry
90career similarity score
83/100 closest-season score · 1974–75 ↔ 1995–96PF · All-Time Career #374Thaddeus Young
90career similarity score
83/100 closest-season score · 1974–75 ↔ 2013–14Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →