Spencer Haywood was the single season rebounds per game leader for the SuperSonics in back-to-back-back seasons.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who relocated from Seattle where they played from 1967 to 2008, have had their fair share of notable rebounding performances throughout a combined 58 seasons in the NBA. Here’s a look at the players who produced the top five single-season rebounds per game during their tenures with the franchise.
Spencer Haywood – 1974, 13.4 RPG
Following a dominant rookie campaign with the Denver Rockets of the ABA that saw him earn Rookie of the Year and league MVP honors in 1969-70, Haywood made his way to the NBA and spent the next four and a half seasons with the Seattle Supersonics, from 1970-71 to 1974-75. In ‘74, the Detroit Mercy product was named an All-Star and All-NBA Second Team selection after averaging 23.5 points, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and a career-best 13.4 rebounds across 75 outings. ‘Woody’ compiled 59 double-doubles and had 29 contests where he hauled in at least 15 boards, and eight with 20 or more as a 6-foot-8 power forward-center.
Spencer Haywood – 1973, 12.9 RPG
Just a year before producing his career-high in rebounding in the NBA, Haywood dropped a career-best 29.2 ppg to go along with his 12.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 77 appearances for Seattle. It was the second consecutive season in which he made the All-Star team while earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team. Haywood, the 30th overall pick in the 1971 draft by the Buffalo Braves, recorded 63 double-doubles and four games where he put up 40+ points, including a 51-point, 18-rebound performance in a win against the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
Spencer Haywood – 1972, 12.7 RPG
Haywood, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 2015, averaged 26.2 ppg, 12.7 rpg and 2.0 apg across 73 games in his first full NBA campaign in 1971-72. He finished fifth in the MVP race that year, and it marked the beginning of a four-year stretch where he was selected to the All-NBA and All-Star teams each season through 1975. Over the course of his tenure in Seattle, Haywood appeared in 326 games and tallied 24.9 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.8 spg and 1.5 bpg in 40.4 minutes a night. He also played for the New York Knicks, Washington Bullets, New Orleans Jazz, and the Los Angeles Lakers in his 13-year career, winning an NBA title with LA in 1980. Haywood was a five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA (two First, two Second), and a member of the ABA All-Time Team.
Jack Sikma – 1982, 12.7 RPG
The eighth overall pick of the 1977 NBA Draft by the Supersonics, Sikma enjoyed nine productive seasons in Seattle from 1977-78 to 1985-86. In 1982, ‘Goldilocks’ posted career-highs in points (19.6), rebounds (12.7), steals (1.2) and blocks (1.3) while appearing in all 82 games for the fifth straight year. He led the league in defensive boards with 9.9 a night, also a career-best figure across his 14-year career. Sikma spent his final five years as a pro with the Milwaukee Bucks before retiring in 1991, registering averages of 15.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 spg and 0.9 bpg in 1,107 total outings. The 2019 Hall of Fame inductee was a seven-time All-Star, one-time All-Defensive Second Team selection and won the 1979 NBA championship with Seattle.
Marvin Webster – 1978, 12.6 RPG
Similar to Spencer Haywood, Webster began his career with the Denver Nuggets of the ABA for his rookie campaign in 1975-76. Two years later, the third overall pick in the 1975 draft by the Atlanta Hawks recorded 14.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks over 82 games during his lone season in Seattle. The points, boards and blocks were all career-best numbers for Webster, who played ten total seasons as a pro with the Nuggets, Supersonics, Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks before retiring in 1987.
