Spencer Haywood turned pro after his sophomore season at the University of Detroit, joining the American Basketball Association’s (ABA) Denver Rockets in 1969.

Seattle SuperSonics owner Sam Schulman signed Haywood to a six-year, $1.5 million contract, ignoring the four-year rule.

Violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act had also previously played a factor with the NBA due to the league allowing for early talks of a NBA-ABA merger to follow suit in exchange for the ABA to drop a potential lawsuit on their end.

[5] The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, which issued an injunction in Haywood's favor, ruling: If Haywood is unable to continue to play professional basketball for Seattle, he will suffer irreparable injury in that a substantial part of his playing career will have been dissipated, his physical condition, skills, and coordination will deteriorate from lack of high-level competition, his public acceptance as a super star will diminish to the detriment of his career, his self-esteem, and his pride will have been injured and a great injustice will be perpetrated on him.The NBA appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which stayed the injunction.

Shortly after the Supreme Court's decision, the league and Haywood reached an out-of-court settlement which allowed him to stay with the Sonics permanently.