He was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 1981 NBA Draft out of Syracuse University. After a career with the Jazz, he played for a number of different teams, notably with the Denver Nuggets, in which he spent his best years. The highlight of his NBA career was his performance in the 1987–88 season with the Nuggets, when he averaged 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. In the playoffs that season he averaged 16.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He was 4th in the NBA with a .640 true shooting percentage. He retired after the NBA lockout-shortened 1999 season, after averaging 1.5 points in an injury-plagued 19-game stint with the Orlando Magic. He averaged 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in his career. Schayes also had a spell with the Minnesota Timberwolves after signing as a free agent prior to the start of the 1999–00 season. However, he made no appearances for them due to his injuries, and was waived