The relationship between a squad and its coach is usually something that is not talked about until it reaches a point of no return. However, just like players develop chemistry with each other, and it helps them achieve the ultimate goal of winning a championship, the same goes for the coach. The man drawing up the plays and calling shots from the sidelines is oftentimes just as important to team success as the guys who are actually putting the ball through the hoop.
But there are also examples in history when all hell breaks loose, and players butt heads with the man on the sidelines. Something like that happened way back during the 1980 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers, when the then-head coach, Paul Westhead, almost ended up in a situation that could have gone terribly wrong.
Advertisement
Haywood wanted cold revenge
You might wonder how it could even come to a point where a coach finds himself staring death in the face without even knowing it. Well, it all happened after Game 3 when Lakers forward Spencer Haywood, who would soon become the main antagonist in this story, got into a shouting match with teammates Brad Holland and Jim Chones.
Westhead responded by suspending Haywood indefinitely for his behavior in the middle of the most important stage in the NBA. Of course, all of that triggered Haywood so much that he started plotting everything to get back at the head coach. And by everything, it included getting rid of him for good.
Advertisement
In a tell-all confession in 1988, Haywood shared what his headspace was like on that night he was slapped with a suspension.
“I left the Forum and drove off in my Rolls that night, thinking one thought—that Westhead must die. I drove through the streets plotting the man’s murder. In the heat of anger and the daze of coke, I phoned an old friend of mine in Detroit, a guy named Gregory, a genuine certified gangster. I said, ‘C’mon out here, buddy. I got someone I want you to take care of,” Haywood opened up.
The next day, the mobster was already in Los Angeles, ready to go to work. The two began planning and mapping out how they would go about it. It reached a point where, as the former NBA star himself admitted, people around him were encouraging him to turn that dark thought into reality. Add to that the fact that Haywood was dealing with substance (mainly cocaine) abuse issues at the time, and it is clear how the situation spiraled out of control.
Advertisement
One call stopped everything
Even though that was a time when the former ABA MVP and Rookie of the Year hit rock bottom, things did not end in tragedy. More than three decades later, in 2014, Haywood revisited the story and revealed that, fortunately, one phone call from his mother stopped everything.
“My mother called and she said, ‘Hey boy, what the hell are you up to?’ And my paranoia, as I was explaining before, about the drug, is that everybody knew what I was doing, including my mother. So what was going in my mind was unholy, ungodly and not clear at all, so I knew my mother was onto it,” Haywood later explained.
Advertisement
In the end, the Lakers went on to win the title with Westhead at the helm, and Haywood, even though he didn’t play a part, still earned his first and only NBA championship ring. It was a dark chapter in the life of a talented player, but thankfully, it didn’t end the way it could have.
The Lakers organization, led by Jerry Buss and Bill Sharman, helped him get back on track. Haywood later went overseas to Italy to continue his professional career and rebuild both his mind and body. It seems like it worked, because reportedly, he has remained free of drugs since 1984.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.