Basketball legend joins Jersey Village police force

The average height of the Jersey Village police force went up over the summer when 6-foot-9-inch former NBA superstar Elvin Hayes joined the force as a reserve deputy in July. The retired athlete will turn 67 next month and said he is excited to further his career with the Jersey Village police department.

Since childhood, Hayes had a desire to become a police officer and finally had the opportunity to attend the police academy in Liberty, Texas.

"I had this dream for many years," he said. "And I was lucky to serve with the Liberty police force for about five years. Now, I'm able to work special events and speak on behalf of [public safety] for Jersey Village."

In his youth, Hayes' career as an athlete began during his first year at Britton High School in his hometown of Rayville, La. At 16 years old, he stood well over 6 feet tall, but still had a rough start playing ball.

In 1966, Hayes became a part of history as one of the first black college basketball players at the University of Houston, his alma mater. After four years of college, he led the Cougars against the UCLA Bruins at the Astrodome in the first ever televised college basketball game. That same year, Hayes was drafted into the NBA as a first round pick. He left Houston to play for the San Diego Rockets.

After being traded to the Baltimore Bullets—later the Washington Bullets—Hayes returned to once again play for the Rockets, but this time in Houston where he would finish his career as an NBA player in 1984. Six year later, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Since he was drafted into professional basketball before he could graduate, Hayes returned to his alma mater to finish his final two years of his undergraduate degree in speech and recreation management. In 2010, he moved into broadcast as a radio analyst for the university.

"Finishing school is one of the most important things a young person can do in their life," Hayes said. "I felt incomplete after I finished my career in basketball. Finishing my degree requirements was one of the greatest achievements in my life—to finish my path down that road. There is life after sports."