Elvin Hayes

Elvin Hayes scored 27,313 career points — fifth-most in NBA history at the time of his retirement — and his turnaround jumper from the baseline was one of the most reliable scoring weapons of the 1970s. 'The Big E' won a championship with the Washington Bullets in 1978 and was a 12-time All-Star whose combination of scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking made him one of the most dominant power forwards in league history.

Hayes's famous Game of the Century — his Houston Cougars defeating Lew Alcindor's UCLA before 52,000 fans in the Astrodome in 1968 — was the most-watched college basketball game in history and established Hayes as a national star. He carried that momentum to the NBA, winning the scoring title as a rookie with 28.4 points per game.

Hayes played in 1,303 consecutive games to begin his career, never missing a single game in his first 16 seasons — one of the most remarkable iron-man streaks in sports history. His durability, combined with his scoring volume and rebounding (12.5 per game career), made him one of the most productive players in NBA history by sheer accumulation.