Ancient Utah Jazz Forward Gordon Hayward has been making the media rounds since announcing his retirement earlier this month. His latest visit comes from The Dan Le Batard Showand Hayward recalls a “Welcome to the NBA” exchange with Ron Artest from The Los Angeles Lakers. Hayward remembers Artest talking to the late Kobe Bryant and not mincing words when evaluating his appearance and ability to defend in the post.
“When we played the Lakers one of the years they had Ron Artest… he looked at me and then he looked at Kobe and he said, ‘Hey Kob, just throw me the ball in the post. Look who’s guarding me. I’ve got Bieber guarding me.'”
“When we played the Lakers one of the years they had Ron Artest… he looked at me and then he looked at Kobe and he said, ‘Hey Kob, just throw me the ball in the post. Look who’s guarding me. I’ve got Bieber guarding me.'” @gordonhayward tells an incredible story… pic.twitter.com/pH05TFlUje
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 7, 2024
Hayward joined the league after spending two years at Butler University. The 9th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft became a household name when he led Butler to the 2010 NCAA Championship Game. It would be hard to believe that Artest or Bryant didn’t know who Hayward was before the game started.
Hayward made headlines when he ran into Bryant again in his final game as a pro against the Jazz. Bryant certainly got the upper hand on the Jazz that night, scoring 60 points. In fact, Bryant single-handedly outscored the Jazz in the third quarter, 23-21.
After Bryant’s death, Hayward was accused of intentionally violating the lane to help Bryant reach the 60-point milestone. Hayward addressed the issue on Twitter and said nothing could be further from the truth.
“He scored 60 points on me and I didn’t give him anything all night. What happened at the free throw line was unintentional. Kobe would have lost all respect for me if I gave him something for free. That’s what made him so special!” — Gordon Hayward
Since playing in Kobe’s final game, Hayward’s road has been bumpy. His best years as a pro came in Salt Lake City, but the grass seemed greener elsewhere and Hayward decided to part ways with Utah in 2017.
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