Happy Hairston vs. Elvin Hayes Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Elvin Hayes and Happy Hairston that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
Happy Hairston: 1964-65 to 1974-75
Elvin Hayes: 1968-69 to 1983-84

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Happy Hairston 1 Elvin Hayes 1

NBA Seasons Happy Hairston 11 Elvin Hayes 16

Playoffs Played Happy Hairston 9 Elvin Hayes 10

All-Star Games Happy Hairston 0 Elvin Hayes 12

Honors and Awards

All-NBA First Team Happy Hairston 0 Elvin Hayes 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Happy Hairston 0 Elvin Hayes 6

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Happy Hairston 0 Elvin Hayes 2

Scoring Leader Happy Hairston 0 Elvin Hayes 1

Rebounds Leader Happy Hairston 0 Elvin Hayes 2

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Happy Hairston 14.8 Elvin Hayes 21.0

Rebounds Per Game Happy Hairston 10.3 Elvin Hayes 12.5

Assists Per Game Happy Hairston 1.6 Elvin Hayes 1.8

Steals Per Game Happy Hairston 0.8 * Elvin Hayes 1.0 *

Blocks Per Game Happy Hairston 0.2 * Elvin Hayes 2.0 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Happy Hairston 11,505 Elvin Hayes 27,313

Total Rebounds Happy Hairston 8,019 Elvin Hayes 16,279

Total Assists Happy Hairston 1,268 Elvin Hayes 2,398

Total Steals Happy Hairston 116 * Elvin Hayes 864 *

Total Blocks Happy Hairston 28 * Elvin Hayes 1,771 *

Total Games Happy Hairston 776 Elvin Hayes 1,303

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Happy Hairston .478 Elvin Hayes .452

3-Point Percentage Happy Hairston - n/a ** Elvin Hayes .147 *

Free Throw Percentage Happy Hairston .741 Elvin Hayes .670

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Happy Hairston 18.6 (1971) Elvin Hayes 28.7 (1971)

Rebounds Per Game Happy Hairston 13.5 (1974) Elvin Hayes 18.1 (1974)

Assists Per Game Happy Hairston 2.7 (1974) Elvin Hayes 3.3 (1972)

Steals Per Game Happy Hairston 0.8 (1974) * Elvin Hayes 1.9 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Happy Hairston 0.2 (1974) * Elvin Hayes 3.0 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Happy Hairston 11.6 Elvin Hayes 22.9

Rebounds Per Game Happy Hairston 8.1 Elvin Hayes 13.0

Assists Per Game Happy Hairston 1.8 Elvin Hayes 1.9

Steals Per Game Happy Hairston 1.0 * Elvin Hayes 1.1 *

Blocks Per Game Happy Hairston 0.2 * Elvin Hayes 2.6 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Happy Hairston 801 Elvin Hayes 2,194

Total Rebounds Happy Hairston 559 Elvin Hayes 1,244

Total Assists Happy Hairston 121 Elvin Hayes 185

Total Steals Happy Hairston 5 * Elvin Hayes 97 *

Total Blocks Happy Hairston 1 * Elvin Hayes 222 *

Total Games Happy Hairston 69 Elvin Hayes 96

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Happy Hairston .445 Elvin Hayes .464

3-Point Percentage Happy Hairston - n/a ** Elvin Hayes - *

Free Throw Percentage Happy Hairston .733 Elvin Hayes .652

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Happy Hairston 17.0 (1971) Elvin Hayes 25.9 (1974)

Rebounds Per Game Happy Hairston 13.1 (1972) Elvin Hayes 15.9 (1974)

Assists Per Game Happy Hairston 3.8 (1974) Elvin Hayes 3.0 (1980)

Steals Per Game Happy Hairston 1.0 (1974) * Elvin Hayes 1.5 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Happy Hairston 0.2 (1974) * Elvin Hayes 4.0 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.