Remembering The 1978 NBA Champion Washington Bullets
The 1968 NBA Draft holds the key to their greatest run in franchise history
In 1968, the two top NBA draft picks were Elvin Hayes of Houston, at #1, and Wes Unseld of Louisville, at #2. Elvin Hayes, one of the top power forwards of all time, was drafted by the San Diego Rockets (who would become the Houston Rockets). Wes Unseld was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets.
Yet, by 1978, both players would be stars with the Washington Bullets (the Baltimore Bullets changed the name and moved to Washington D.C.) and Washington would win the NBA Championship that year.
Elvin Hayes
There was no doubt Elvin “The Big E” was going to be an NBA superstar. He was a superstar in college at the University of Houston. Hayes and Don Cheney, a long-time NBA player and coach, were the first two African American players in the history of the University of Houston.
Hayes and Cheney are both from Louisiana and both have good careers at Houston, though Hayes’ career was one of the best in college basketball history. Hayes averaged 31 points per game at Houston. With the exception of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, he was the most dominating college player at the time.
