GGOATRANK
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Basketball · Forward · United States

Spencer Haywood

1969–1983 · Won the Supreme Court case that opened the NBA to early entrants.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
85.6
Cultural & brand footprint 58/100 · total legacy 78.7
ABA MVP awards
1
All-Star selections
5
NBA titles
1
Career points per game
19.2
Olympic golds
1

Category profile

Dominance
84
Peak
94
Longevity
78
Honours
82
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Points per game

SeasonPoints per gameShare of career
196930
197020.6
197126.2
197229.2
197323.5
197422.4
197519.9
197619.7
197713.7
197824
19799.7
198013.3
19819.4

Data sources

  • NBA.com
  • Basketball Reference
  • Naismith Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Spencer Haywood ranks #54 in Basketball

Spencer Haywood ranks 54th among Basketball athletes on GOAT Rank and 321st of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 85.6 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 84, Peak 94, Longevity 78, Honours 82, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Basketball reference universe of 402 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1969–1983 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1969, which sets the Peak component at 94. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes aba mvp awards 1, all-star selections 5, nba titles 1, career points per game 19.2.

Immediately ahead sits Dennis Johnson on 85.6, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Chris Paul on 85.4. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Spencer Haywood GOAT Score explained

Dominance84/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Haywood stood above the field while competing. Scored 84/100 against the full Basketball cohort.
Peak94/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1969. Scored 94/100.
Longevity78/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 78/100.
Honours82/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Spencer Haywood — frequently asked

Is Spencer Haywood the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Spencer Haywood ranks 54th in Basketball with a GOAT Score of 85.6, behind LeBron James on 95.6.
What is Spencer Haywood's GOAT Score?
85.6 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 84 (25%), Peak 94 (20%), Longevity 78 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Spencer Haywood rank all time?
321st of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 54th within Basketball.
Spencer Haywood vs Dennis Johnson: who ranks higher?
Spencer Haywood, on 85.6 against Dennis Johnson's 85.6 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with LeBron