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Sirius XM NBA: “His last three minutes in that game were legendary” One day after Bam Adebayo went for 83 points, @gordonhayward compares the performance to the story of Kobe Bryant’s final game with @TheFrankIsola & @Scalabrine

Twitter

Gordon Hayward on Bam Adebayo's 83-point game: I think Bam is one of the best two-way players in the league at his position, but he’s not a scorer, right? So for him to break Kobe’s record, I don’t think it’s great for the league. I think it kind of highlights how they’re already struggling. It kind of feels like a pickup game when you’re watching. And for him to shoot 43 free throws and 22 threes, when that’s not what he does, it almost feels like… and again, the Wizards too. With all these teams tanking, it kind of makes it feel not legit, I guess, is what I would say.

x.com

Gordon Hayward, now a father of five, returned to the same gym on Thursday night where he celebrated a state championship in March of 2008 as Brownsburg retired his No. 20 jersey before its game against West Lafayette. “It’s just really special,” Hayward said. “More than anything it’s a credit to God. There’s no reason I should have been 6-foot-8 if you have met my parents. But I had so much help from them along the way, way back to when my dad would drag me along to go play with him and his buddies. It’s not just my number going up there. There’s no way I would have been able to do it without my teammates and so many others helping me.”

Indianapolis Star

North Carolina, where Hayward currently resides with his wife, Robyn, and their three daughters and two sons, is known as a basketball state. But Indiana bragging rights often came up in his NBA travels. “No doubt,” he said. “Everyone has seen the movie ‘Hoosiers.’ That’s Indiana high school basketball. We always had to remind people we grew up learning how to play the right way. We might not have the overall population of Texas or California, but there are always a lot of Indiana guys out there.”

Indianapolis Star

"When LeBron went back to Cleveland, they didn't have the cap space. This is one thing people don't remember. Not only did they not have the cap space, they had Gordon Hayward in their building, and they were about to give Gordon Hayward an offer sheet. "All of a sudden Rich Paul had to say 'Hello, LeBron is a free agent. Did you not notice that?' And they said 'Oh really?'"

RealGM

Sam Hauser: I was in the airport one time in Boston and this is when I had this hairdo and the beard and some guy comes up to me. He goes, "What's up, Gordon?" Like Gordon Hayward. I'm like, "What's up? That's not me, man." I like, "No, that's not me." He goes, "I know what you're doing. Have a good flight, man.” I'm like, "All right.”

YouTube

Run It Back: . @gordonhayward on LeBron confronting Stephen A. Smith: "I think we all have moments where we want to confront the talking heads...but, I would never do that in public like that. I don't think that's the time or place to do something like that." @MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23

x.com

Jayson Tatum, who was drafted 3rd overall by the Celtics in 2017, shared his initial concerns about his role on the team, especially when Boston signed forward Gordon Hayward the same summer. The unexpected addition of a high-profile player led Tatum to question whether he would see substantial playing time, leading him to consider a trade. “I get drafted, and Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics. I called my agent, like, yo, I gotta get traded,” Tatum recounted.

BasketNews

His agent, however, reassured him to stay calm and be patient. “He was like, yo, just, like, you’re in a great organization. They’re gonna teach you how to play right away,” Tatum explained, revealing that his agent urged him to wait it out and trust the Celtics’ development system. Despite Tatum’s eagerness to start immediately, he acknowledged feeling frustrated. “I'm like, yo, I'm trying to play. I didn't get drafted to come off the bench and not start,” Tatum recalled during the podcast.

BasketNews

The Timberwolves' defense is anchored by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Recently, retired NBA guard Gordon Hayward, who played alongside Gobert for several seasons with the Utah Jazz, broke down the one key weakness that Gobert has on that side of the floor during a visit to the Pat Bev Podcast with Rone. “He always had problems guarding around the perimeter and that was something anytime we played like a quick guard that can also shoot it was going to be tough for us,” said Hayward. “We had really tough times against Boston when they had IT (Isiah Thomas). We had really tough times against Kemba, we had really tough times against Dame. Guards that if he came out too far they go right around him, and if he’s back at all they’re just shooting.”

Clutch Points

Hayward made sure to reiterate that Gobert was still excellent overall on that end of the floor. “So I think that would probably be his only critique as a defensive player is being able to guard the perimeter,” said Hayward. “Now I don’t think he’s bad at it, I think its just those are world class elite level players, that’s just what they did was coming off pick and rolls, shooting.”

Clutch Points

Recently, retired NBA guard Gordon Hayward, who played alongside Gobert for several seasons with the Utah Jazz, broke down the one key weakness that Gobert has on that side of the floor during a visit to the Pat Bev Podcast with Rone. “He always had problems guarding around the perimeter and that was something anytime we played like a quick guard that can also shoot it was going to be tough for us,” said Hayward. “We had really tough times against Boston when they had IT (Isiah Thomas). We had really tough times against Kemba, we had really tough times against Dame. Guards that if he came out too far they go right around him, and if he’s back at all they’re just shooting.”

Clutch Points

Tim Bontemps: It was a turnaround led by a spectacular performance from star guard LaMelo Ball, who had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists in 38 minutes. It's a huge year for Ball, who has played just 59 games since his breakthrough All-Star season in 2021-22. To help combat that, Ball has taken the Stephen Curry approach to his balky ankles, sources said, wearing strong braces to try to avoid having the same injury issues that have cut short each of his past two seasons. And it wasn't just Ball who impressed, as Tre Mann -- who had discussions with the front office about a rookie contract extension, sources said, before ultimately not signing one -- had 24 points off the bench and could be primed for a big first full season away from the Oklahoma City Thunder after joining Charlotte in the Gordon Hayward deal last season.

ESPN

What happened in Oklahoma City? That’s a good question. I think it was a difficult situation going into it. I hadn’t played since December 26, so I’m coming off of a calf injury, which is hard to come back from to begin with. But then you’re going to a team that was No. 1 in the West. So in my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Why do you guys need me? You’re doing fine.’ I was told (by Presti), ‘No, we really need you and we really believe you can help us out.’ But it was one of those things where I said, ‘I don’t necessarily want to ring chase. If you want me to come be there, I want to play because I do think I can help.’ Before the calf strain, I was still doing well. I get there and I still have to come back from the calf injury, so they were working me back slowly and it never changed from my perspective. It was like I’m not getting a chance here, I’m not doing anything. I’m not necessarily doing much wrong, but I’m not doing anything right because I’m playing such limited minutes. I’m just kind of out there. Then it got to the point where I wasn’t just playing at all, so it was like why did you trade for me?

New York Times