Elvin Hayes is a retired professional basketball player. In 1966, Hayes led the Houston Cougars into the Western Regional semifinals of the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In 1967, Hayes led the Cougars to the Final Four of the 1967 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Hayes was selected as the first overall selection in the 1968 NBA draft, taken by the San Diego Rockets. Hayes joined the NBA and went on to lead the NBA in scoring with 28.4 points per game, averaged 17.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Hayes' scoring average is the fifth best all-time for a rookie, and he remains the last rookie to lead the NBA in scoring average (as of 2021. In Hayes' second season, he led the NBA in rebounding, becoming the first player other than Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain to lead the category in 10 years. Later, Hayes was traded to the Washington Bullets, where he found the most success. Hayes and co-star Unseld led the Washington Bullets to three NBA Finals (1975, 1978 and 1979).
He is a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and an inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is also a former radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars.