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Former Knicks Rival Announces Retirement

Gordon Hayward, a foe of the New York Knicks, is calling it quits.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots the ball against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots the ball against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports / Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA are saying goodbye to former All-Star Gordon Hayward, who announced his retirement after 14 seasons in the league.

Hayward released the following statement:

"Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball," Hayward said in the statement. "It's been an incredible ride and I'm so grateful to everyone who helped me achieve more than I ever imagined."

Hayward, 34, was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft after becoming a college basketball star at Butler. Hayward famously almost hit a halfcourt buzzer beater that would have beat Duke in the national championship in 2010, just two months before he was taken by the Utah Jazz in the draft.

Hayward spent his first seven NBA seasons with the Jazz before infamously signing with the Boston Celtics on July 4, 2017. In his debut for Boston, Hayward suffered a broken leg which knocked him out for the entire season with the Celtics.

He played for the Celtics for three more seasons, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 but losing to the Miami Heat.

Hayward's tenure with the Celtics was ultimately deemed unsuccessful, but he was still able to nab a four-year, $120 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Hayward's numbers were up from his Celtics days since he was a full-time starter on a lesser team, but he was only healthy part of the time, playing in no more than 50 games in any of his years with the Hornets.

Back in February, Hayward was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder to offer some veteran leadership to a young squad ready to take a big run in the postseason. However, Hayward didn't crack the postseason rotation for the Thunder, which ended up being an unceremonious end to an otherwise successful career in the NBA.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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