Free agent forward Gordon Hayward has chosen to retire. He posted his decision on social media on Thursday morning (Twitter link).
“Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball,” he wrote. “It’s been an incredible ride and I am so grateful to everyone who helped me achieve more than I ever imagined.”
Hayward, 34, burst onto the national scene in 2010 when he led Butler to the NCAA Championship game, narrowly missing a game-winner half-court heave at the final buzzer against Duke.
The Jazz selected him in the lottery with the ninth pick in that year’s draft. He spent his first seven seasons with Utah and made the All-Star team in the last of those seasons. He departed Utah on a four-year, $128MM deal with the Celtics but his career was sidetracked by a devastating left leg injury in his first regular-season game for Boston.
He left the Celtics in 2020 after declining his player option and was dealt to Charlotte in November 2020 via a sign-and-trade, inking a four-year, $120MM contract in the process. However, his years in Charlotte were a disappointment as injuries piled up and he was unable to lift the franchise to a postseason appearance.
Hayward’s career ended with the Thunder after he was dealt by the Hornets at last season’s trade deadline. Hayward had a limited role with Oklahoma City and expressed frustration after the team was eliminated.
“Obviously disappointing with kind of how it all worked out. This is not what I thought it would be. Certainly frustrating. … We have a great team here with great young players, a great coach. So the future is bright,” Hayward said, adding, “I feel like as a player I have a lot to offer. I just wasn’t given much of an opportunity to do that.”
However, a month after free agency began, Hayward decided to call it quits.
In 835 career regular-season appearances, Hayward averaged 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 30.7 minutes per game. He also saw action in 36 postseason contests, averaging 12.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2.4 APG.