Hailing from Silver City, Mississippi, Spencer Haywood probably has the most unique entry story into the realm of professional basketball than anyone else on this list. After moving to Detroit in 1964, Haywood led his high school basketball team to the state championship game and won in 1967. Later, he found himself averaging an insane 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game while attending a community college. He was contacted to join the Men's US National Basketball Team for the 1968 Summer Olympics where he would go on to lead the team in scoring averaging 16.1 points per game and setting a United States field goal percentage record of 71%.
Following the Olympics, Haywood transferred to the University of Detroit where he revealed that he would go pro following his sophomore year of college. The NBA denied Haywood's request to enter the NBA Draft due to the rules stating that he would enter with his graduating class. Haywood being the forward-thinking young man that he was, he joined the ABA and won Most Valuable Player before being drafted to the Seattle Sonics in 1970. Haywood would go on to become an NBA Champion with 1980 Los Angeles Lakers and 4x NBA All-Star. Way to work the system, Spencer.
When you fly by private jet charter, you experience travel comfort known only to those who know private jets. And nothing illustrates this luxury better than celebrity private jets. Stars with their own private aircraft fly fancy.
John Travolta, the star of 70s cult movies like “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever”, is not only one of the most famous Hollywood actors, but also one of the best celebrity pilots. John Travolta is a bonafide aviation enthusiast with five private planes total, which he parks on his front lawn. His most impressive aircraft is a customized Boeing 707-138 (as pictured above), a beast of a plane that he acquired in 1998 upon his promotion to an honorary pilot of Qantas, the Australian airline.
Oprah Winfrey’s production company HARPO bought her custom-built Global Express XRS VIP business jet to provide the media mogul and her associates with maximum aviation comfort. Oprah’s private jet features designer fixtures in the bathroom and galley, along with an exquisite all-leather interior. The aircraft was designed by Bombardier Aerospace to perform as a premier long-range business jet. Custom design allowed for an enhanced cabin layout with nine cushy leather seats, aesthetically-placed lighting, and additional luxury amenities. The jet cruises through the air at high speeds, made possible by two Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines, which produce enough power to send HARPO clear across the map with only one refuel stop
Tom Cruise played an elite naval fighter jet pilot in the blockbuster movie “Top Gun”, and he now indulges his real love for flying in his own Gulfstream IV, one of the finest celebrity private jets around. Cruise’s beautiful business jet accommodates up to 19 passengers, providing comfort and class with state-of-the-art furnishings and aircraft technology. The jet even automatically refreshes the air inside the cabin every two minutes. Designed by Gulfstream Aerospace, Cruise’s jet is powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engines, propelling the aircraft to a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet over a maximum range of 7,820 km, zipping through the air at speeds up to Mach 0.80.
Mark Cuban, business mogul and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, landed himself in the Guinness Book of World Records for purchasing his Boeing 767-277 online in 1999, making “the largest single e-commerce transaction”. Cuban modified the jet with large, custom seats to give his team’s lengthy players plenty of room while flying.