Happy Hairston

Harold "Happy" Hairston (May 31, 1942 – May 1, 2001) was an American professional basketball player. A 6-foot-7-inch, 225-pound forward, he was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and attended Atkins High School there. He graduated from New York University, where he played college basketball under coach Lou Rossini from 1962 to 1964. Alongside teammate Barry Kramer, Hairston rewrote much of the NYU Violets record book, averaging 21 points per game, setting the school's all-time rebounding record, and scoring 1,350 points over his college career. He was inducted into the NYU Hall of Fame in 1981.

Drafted by the Cincinnati Royals, now the Sacramento Kings, Hairston played professionally for the Royals and the Detroit Pistons before joining the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, with whom he is best remembered. He was a member of the NBA champion 1971–72 Lakers, a team that won 33 games in a row, a record not duplicated in any other American professional sport.