Happy Hairston
| No. 22, 5, 52 | |
|---|---|
| Forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 31, 1942 Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | May 1, 2001 (aged 58) Los Angeles, California |
| High school | Erasmus Hall |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | New York University |
| NBA Draft | 1964 / Round: 4 / Pick: 33rd overall |
| Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | |
| Pro career | 1964–1975 |
| Career history | |
| 1964–1968 | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1968–1969 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1969–1975 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 11,505 (14.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 8,019 (10.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,268 (1.6 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Harold "Happy" Hairston (May 31, 1942 – May 1, 2001) was an American professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He was a member of 1971–72 NBA championship Lakers team that won 33 games in a row, a record not duplicated in any other American professional sport. Hairston was a 6'7" (200 cm) 225 lb (102 kg) forward. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Hairston attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York. He played college basketball at New York University from 1962 to 1964. He played professionally for the Cincinnati Royals and Detroit Pistons before arriving at the Lakers in 1969.
In 1971-72, Hairston grabbed 1,045 rebounds and his teammate Wilt Chamberlain pulled down 1,572. It remains the only season in NBA history that two teammates grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds each. Hairston led the Lakers in both rebounds and field goal percentage during the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons, and set an NBA record for most defensive rebounds in a quarter with 13 (vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, November 15, 1974).[1]
During his 11 seasons in the NBA, Hairston averaged 14.8 points and 10.3 rebounds.
After his retirement in 1975, Hairston established the Happy Hairston Youth Foundation in Century City. With financial help from celebrities such as Kelsey Grammer, the foundation found bright children from broken homes and paid for their college education. He also hosted a celebrity golf tournament. He had a small role in the 1981 Happy Days episode "Tall Story", playing the father of an epileptic high school basketball player.
Hairston died at the age of 58 in Los Angeles from complications due to prostate cancer.
[edit] References
- "Former Laker Happy Hairston Dies at 58". Associated Press. May 2, 2001. http://www.nba.com/news/hairston_010501.html?nav=ArticleList.
[edit] External links
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This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1942 births
- 2001 deaths
- African American basketball players
- American basketball players
- Basketball players from North Carolina
- NYU Violets men's basketball players
- Cincinnati Royals draft picks
- Cincinnati Royals players
- Detroit Pistons players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- Small forwards
- Power forwards (basketball)
- People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Deaths from prostate cancer
- Cancer deaths in California
- American basketball biography, 1940s birth stubs
