Gordon Daniel Hayward (born March 23, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
In college basketball, Hayward led the Butler Bulldogs to the championship game of the 2010 NCAA tournament. He was subsequently selected by the Utah Jazz with the ninth overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft. Hayward played seven seasons with the Jazz, and was selected to the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. In the 2017 offseason, Hayward signed as a free agent with the Celtics, but was ruled out for the remainder of the 2017–18 season after suffering a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle only five minutes into the season opener. He played two more seasons with the franchise before the Celtics traded Hayward to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade agreement in November 2020.
Hayward attended Brownsburg High School in Brownsburg, Indiana. He grew from 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) in height as a freshman to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) as a senior. Until his growth spurt, Hayward was more successful in tennis, in which he was a two-time all-state singles player. Hayward's parents, Gordon Scott Hayward and Jody Hayward hosted parties for their son and his high school basketball teammates. Gordon Hayward has a sister, Heather and a cousin, Rob Nix.
As a senior in 2007–08, Hayward averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Hayward and teammate Julian Mavunga led Brownsburg to the Indiana Class 4A state championship. In the title game, Hayward made the game-winning basket at the buzzer to defeat Marion High School 40–39. Hayward was selected Second-team all-state by AP and First-team all-state by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. He was selected Indianapolis Star Player of the Year. and he received the IHSAA Arthur L. Trester Award in Class 4A. Hayward was selected to represent Indiana in the 2008 Indiana – Kentucky Boys All-Star Game, which Indiana won.
Hayward was listed as an unranked three-star prospect on the recruiting website Rivals.com. He accepted a scholarship offer from Butler University, coached by Brad Stevens, despite late interest from Purdue and Michigan.
As a freshman with the Bulldogs in 2008–09, Hayward averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He was named Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, and selected to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team and the All-Horizon League First Team. The Bulldogs won the Horizon League regular season title. In the championship game of the 2009 Horizon League men's basketball tournament, Butler lost to Cleveland State. Butler received an at-large bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and lost in the First Round against the LSU Tigers.
In 2009–10, Hayward was nominated for various preseason All-America teams and Player of the Year awards. Hayward averaged 15.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore. The Butler Bulldogs won both the Horizon League regular season title, and the 2010 Horizon League men's basketball tournament. He was named the Horizon League Player of the Year and selected to the All-Horizon League First Team. Hayward was also selected AP All-American Honorable Mention and ESPN Third-team Academic All-American.
Butler lost to Duke in the championship game of the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In the final seconds, Hayward attempted a game-winning, buzzer-beating, half-court shot, which hit the backboard and rim, and bounced away. The shot is considered one of the most well-known plays in NCAA tournament history. Hayward was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
After the 2010 NCAA basketball tournament, Hayward confirmed that he would submit his name for consideration in the 2010 NBA draft, but did not immediately hire an agent. In May 2010, Hayward announced that he would forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft. He hired Mark Bartelstein as his agent. On June 24, 2010, Hayward was selected as the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.
As a rookie in 2010–11, Hayward came off the bench. On an episode of Paul George's podcast Podcast P, Hayward recalled not being entrusted with minutes on account of long-time veteran coach Jerry Sloan preferring more experienced players. Sloan's resignation following an argument during a February game coincided with star point guard Deron Williams being traded, which surprised Hayward. He benefitted by receiving more playing time under interim hire Ty Corbin. On April 5, 2011, Hayward had a noticeable performance in an 86–85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, finishing with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Hayward ended the season with a 34-point game, a career high at the time, in a 107–103 win over the Denver Nuggets on April 13. As a sophomore in 2011–12, Hayward established himself in the starting lineup, and was selected to play in the 2012 NBA Rising Stars Challenge game. Hayward played for Team Chuck and recorded 14 points as his team won the game. Hayward made his NBA playoffs debut against the San Antonio Spurs as the Jazz lost 4–0 in the first round. Playing in all four games of the series, Hayward averaged 7.3 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game, and 0.8 steals per game while playing 30.8 minutes per game.
In the 2012–13 season, Hayward mainly came off the bench as a sixth man, but averaged a career high in points per game (11.8). Hayward received a third-place vote for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
After the departure of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson during the 2013 offseason, Hayward emerged as the Jazz's new offensive threat, averaging career highs per game in points, rebounds, assists and steals. On January 7, 2014, Hayward scored career-high 37 points in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the 2013–14 season, Hayward became a restricted free agent. On July 10, 2014, Hayward received a four-year, $63 million maximum contract offer from the Charlotte Hornets. On July 12, 2014, the Jazz matched the offer sheet, re-signing Hayward.
In 2014–15, Hayward averaged a career high in points per game. On November 14, 2014, Hayward scored a season-high 33 points in 102–100 win over the New York Knicks. In 2015–16, he again averaged a career high in points per game. On January 18, 2016, Hayward scored a season-high 36 points in a 124–119 double overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
On October 7, 2016, Hayward suffered a fracture of the fourth finger on his left hand. He made his season debut on November 6, scoring 28 points in a 114–109 win over the New York Knicks. Hayward averaged a career high in points per game, improving his points per game for a sixth straight season. On January 26, 2017, Hayward was selected to the 2017 NBA All-Star Game by the vote of Western Conference coaches. On February 9, 2017, he scored a season-high 36 points in a 112–105 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On March 2, 2017, Hayward scored a career-high 38 points in a 107–100 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He set a new career high on April 7, 2017, scoring 39 points in a 120–113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On April 21, 2017, in Game 3 of the Jazz's first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Hayward scored a career-high 40 points in a 111–106 loss. Hayward's 21 first-quarter points in Game 3 was a franchise playoff record for any one quarter. In Game 7 of the series on April 30, he scored 26 points as the Jazz eliminated the Clippers with a 104–91 victory, closing out the first-round series 4–3 to earn the franchise's first postseason victory since 2010. The Jazz went on to lose in the second round to the Golden State Warriors in 4 games. In June, Hayward declined his player option for the upcoming and became an unrestricted free agent.
On July 4, 2017, Hayward announced via The Players' Tribune that he would sign with the Boston Celtics. On July 14, he signed with the Celtics to a reported four-year, $128 million contract.