Wayne A. Hightower was an American basketball player who had a long and productive career in the NBA and ABA during the 1960s and early 1970s. He was a 6'8" power forward and center. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hightower went to Kansas, and after graduation moved to Spain and signed for Real Madrid, whom he led to a domestic championship and the final of the European Champions Cup, which the team lost. He was drafted in the 1962 NBA Draft at the 7th spot overall by the San Francisco Warriors, with whom he played for 3 seasons. The pinnacle of his NBA career came with the Warriors, together with fellow Philadelphia native Wilt Chamberlain he reached the 1964 NBA Finals. Hightower recorded his best season that year, averaging 13.2 and 7.2 PG. He later played for several other teams, moving to play in the ABA in 1967 before retiring in 1972. Hightower died on April 18, 2002, in his hometown of Philadelphia. [More at Wikipedia]

January 14th, 1940 in Philadelphia  /  Died:   Apr 18th, 2002