Wayne A.

Hightower (January 14, 1940 – April 18, 2002) was an American professional basketball player who had a long and
productive career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1962 to 1972. He
stood 6 foot 8 inches (2.03 m) and primarily played the forward positions. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and
attended Overbrook High School from 1955 to 1958, where he played basketball. His professional career began in 1961 after his
departure from the University of Kansas at the end his junior year. Hightower stated he did so to financially support his family, but he
would have been ineligible to play basketball his senior year due to his poor academic standing.

NBA rules barred players with college eligibility from being drafted or signed to a team, so Hightower signed with the Pittsburgh
Rens of the upstart American Basketball League (ABL) for the 1961–62 season. The ABL's commissioner voided the contract when
the Kansas City Steers protested that they had territorial rights to Hightower since he went to the University of Kansas. Instead of
signing with the Steers, Hightower joined the Spanish team Real Madrid Baloncesto. He was both the EuroLeague Finals Top
Scorer and the Spanish League Top Scorer in 1962.

During the 1962 NBA draft, the San Francisco Warriors selected Hightower in the first round with the seventh overall pick. In the
NBA, Hightower played for the Warriors (1962–65), the Baltimore Bullets (1965–1967) and the Detroit Pistons (1967). After joining
the ABA in 1967, he played for the Denver Rockets (1967–69), the Los Angeles / Utah Stars (1969–71), the Texas
Chaparrals (1971) and the Carolina Cougars (1971–72). He also played for the Harrisburg Patriots of the Eastern Professional
Basketball League during parts of the 1965–66 season, while still under contract with the Baltimore Bullets.

During the off-season before the 1967–68 season, Hightower was one of the first active NBA players to sign with the fledgling ABA,
which lent credibility to the new league.[1] Denver Rockets head coach and general manager Bob Bass would later say that the
acquisition of Hightower was the most important moment in the team's first year. [2] During parts of his ABA career, Hightower would
serve as the vice president of the ABA Players Association, a labor union that represented the league's players. In 1973, Hightower
sued the ABA for backed wages and damages. He claimed he was blacklisted from professional basketball.[3] The parties settled the
case the following year.[4]

After his basketball career was over, Hightower volunteered for the Peace Corps, which dispatched him to Tunisia. He later returned
to his hometown of Philadelphia, where he coached youth basketball. Hightower had poor cardiac health. During his tenure with the
Chaparrals, Hightower was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg. In 1988, he estimated that had suffered three or four heart attacks
over his life. He died of a heart attack on April 18, 2002, aged 62, in Philadelphia.

Amateur career
[edit]

High school
[edit]
Hightower attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played on the school's varsity basketball team. He
was the first selection to the all-public basketball team by the Philadelphia Inquirer during the 1956–57 season.[5] He was also
named second team all-Pennsylvania by the United Press International (UPI) and third team all-Pennsylvania by the Associated
Press (AP) that season.[6][7]

In December 1957, Overbrook won the Cambria County War Memorial Basketball Tournament after they defeated Charleroi High
School, 72–58. Hightower was named the tournament's most outstanding player. [8] The UPI named Hightower to the first all-
Pennsylvania high school basketball team during the 1957–58 season.[9] Overbrook defeated Bishop Neumann High School for the
1958 Philadelphia High School Basketball Championship. Following the tournament, Hightower was named the Philadelphia
Inquirer Most Valuable Player.[10] At the end of the season, Hightower was named second team All-American by Parade.[11] In
1999, Gannett News Service writer Dave Krider named the 1957–58 Overbrook team the eighth best high school basketball team of
the 20th century.[12]

Following his senior season, Hightower played for the Chester Times All-Star basketball team at the YMCA in Chester,
Pennsylvania.[13] During the summer, with school out of session, Hightower played in the Wildwood Crest, New Jersey Basketball
League and the Catskills Basketball League at Shawanga Lodge.[14][15] The AP reported that at least 33 colleges showed interest in
recruiting Hightower, who was drawing comparisons to former Overbrook center Wilt Chamberlain.[16] Jack McCloskey, the head
coach of Penn Quakers men's basketball team, told sportswriter Ronnie Christ that he tried to recruit Hightower – but due to his
poor grades he would not be accepted by the university.[17]

College
[edit]
 Hightower, circa 1958

Hightower played college basketball at Kansas, with the Kansas Jayhawks. He played on the freshman basketball team during the
1958–59 season. He averaged 25.7 points per game, but other stats for the season are unavailable.[18] During the summer, he
returned to Pennsylvania and played in the Narberth Summer League.[19] His first season on the Kansas varsity team was 1959–
1960. Hightower played in 28 games and averaged 21.8 points per game and 10.1 rebounds. [20] He led the Big Eight Conference in
scoring and was second in rebounding on the Jayhawks behind center Bill Bridges.[21] Kansas finished with a first place record in the
Big Eight (10–4 in conference, 19–9 overall) during the 1959–60 season. [22] During the semi-finals for the Midwest region of the 1960
NCAA University Division basketball tournament, Kansas was matched up against the Texas Longhorns. The Jayhawks, led by a
34-point performance from Hightower, won the game 90–81.[23] During the finals of the Midwest region on March 12, Hightower shot
8 for 24 from the field and scored a total of 22 points against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Kansas lost the game 82–71 and was
eliminated from the tournament.[24] After the season, Hightower returned to the Narberth Basketball League in Pennsylvania, where
he played for a team coached by Jack McKinney.[25]

Hightower gave an interview to the Philadelphia Daily News in 1960 criticizing the selection process for the United States men's
national basketball team leading up to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. He was named an alternate for the team, but was
never allowed to practice. Dutch Lonborg, the athletic director of the University of Kansas and the chairman of the United States
men's basketball Olympic committee, sent a letter to Hightower telling him that no alternates would be selected for the team as all of
the original selectees agreed to join the team. Furthermore Lonborg wrote that, "I believe Jim Darrow and possibly Dick
Boushka would be the coach's first and second choice [for alternates]." Hightower called for transparency in the Olympic select
committee process.[26]

In 1960, Hightower said he was considering joining a A