Episode 13 - Spencer Haywood

Spencer Haywood!  When I was a Denver adolescent with hoop dreams, an older teen came to town and taught us all about big-time basketball. Not in the Denver Prep League, or college, but in the American Basketball Association where Haywood starred for the Denver Rockets. 30 points and 20 rebounds a game. Can you imagine? 1970 ABA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. I saw it happen.

 

This NBA Hall of Famer tells me about his love for Denver, how he got screwed by racist and anti-Semitic Rockets’ ownership. Spencer Haywood fought all the way to the US Supreme Court for his right to next play in the NBA where he was a star in Seattle, and played after for Knicks, Jazz, Lakers, and Bullets. This 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist (USA’s leading scorer/rebounder) spoke with me about racism in the sixties and today. This civil rights trailblazer paved the way for Kobe, LeBron, and Jamal.  Speaking of which, find out that Haywood is rooting big time for Denver to beat the Lakers.

 

Also rooting hard for our Nuggets is Mario Nicolais, my columnist colleague at the Colorado Sun, and an outstanding lawyer. Mario, a self-described conservative, discusses what has happened to his Republican party and we discuss what has happened to talk radio in the age of Trump. In Craig’s Lawyers’ Lounge, Mario reveals his selections in the presidential and Colorado U.S. Senate race.   

 

Covering the U.S. Senate race in Colorado is ace reporter Jesse Paul who works for the Colorado Sun. Jesse gives us the latest on John Hickenlooper versus Cory Gardner and all things political in Colorado. Jesse also discusses the COVID crisis and what is happening at Colorado College and the University of Colorado. Find out why Jesse is the reporter to read for Colorado news.

 

Apropos of the season (Yom Kippur on Sunday eve) and in celebration of Spencer’s brave recovery from his cocaine addiction, our Troubadour Dave Gunders has a perfect song, “Somebody Help Me.” Spencer Haywood pulled himself up by his own bootstraps and has gained lots of wisdom in his 70 years. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d someday be interviewing Haywood, but I just did, and it was terrific.

 

Rundown-

Spencer Haywood - 00:01:37

Dave Gunders - 00:51:52

Jesse Paul - 01:11:11

Mario Nicolais in Craig's Lawyer's Lounge - 01:39:37