NBA Swing: Gordon Hayward Announces Retirement

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After 14 seasons in the NBA, veteran Gordon Hayward has announced his retirement. On Thursday, Hayward announced his retirement with a statement on X.

“God has blessed me with an amazing journey, one that has taken turns I couldn’t have expected or dreamed of as a kid in Brownsburg, Indiana.

Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball. It has been an incredible ride and I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me achieve more than I ever imagined.”

Following a short but excellent run at Butler and becoming Horizon League Player of the Year in 2010, Hayward would enter that year’s draft, being selected ninth overall by the Utah Jazz. Hayward would spend the first half of his career with the Jazz. During his time in Utah, Hayward would lead the Jazz to the playoffs twice, becoming an All-Star for the first and only time in 2017. He would average 15.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.4 APG in over 500 regular season games.

After leaving the Jazz in the summer of 2017, he would join the Boston Celtics. In the season opener of the 2017-18 season, Hayward suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in recent NBA history, dislocating his ankle and fracturing his tibia at the same time. He would miss the remainder of the season. Hayward would bounce back in the 2018-19 season, playing 72 games followed by 52 games played in the 2019-20 season. He would average 13.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.6 APG during his time in Boston.

Hayward would spend three and a half seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. Averaging 19.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.1 APG in his first season in Charlotte, his stats would start to decline as he transitioned more into a mentor role for the young Hornets core. In February, Hayward would be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he would average just over 5 PPG in 26 games.

Even though the second half of his career was hampered by injuries, Hayward has a successful career that saw him play in over 800 regular season games and score over 12,000 points. Just 34 years old at the time of his retirement, Hayward has joined a long list of players from the 2010 draft who have already retired or are no longer in the league. The only remaining player from the 2010 draft currently in the league is Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George.