Will Jazz Fans Ever Forgive Gordon Hayward?
Aug 23, 2024, 3:51 PM
Utah Jazz shooting guard Gordon Hayward (20) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics power forward Brandon Bass (30) defends (Credit: Deseret News)
(Credit: Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Just days after his retirement, Gordon Hayward has once again become a hot topic for Utah Jazz fans.
In an interview with Jazz podcast host JP Chunga, Hayward discussed his decision to leave the team for the Boston Celtics at the peak of his career, causing fans to relitigate his place in the team’s history.
“It was really hard to make a decision, to choose, and I was torn up until the last minute that I made up my mind,” Hayward said.
“I mean that was one of the things that was so cool about the Jazz,,,”@jp_chunga sat down with @gordonhayward to reflect on his incredible career in the league and his time with the Jazz. Listen to #RoundballRoundup wherever you get your podcasts or watch now on YouTube 📺⤵️
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 21, 2024
Why Are Jazz Fans Mad At Hayward?
Contributing to the pain of Hayward’s departure were a multitude of issues for Jazz fans.
The organization had built the roster around the Butler product, highlighting the forward as the team’s leading man.
Hayward was coming off his first All-Star appearance, seven years into his career with the Jazz.
The team had repeatedly bet on Hayward, first selecting him with a top-ten pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, then matching a max contract for him after a good, but far from great fourth season in the NBA.
Gordon Hayward scores 27 points as the @utahjazz beat the Clippers 96-92 to take a 3-2 series lead. pic.twitter.com/nGtFbHsAhv
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 26, 2017
His relationship with head coach Quin Snyder seemed like the perfect pairing to lift the Jazz to relevancy after missing the postseason for four straight years.
And, Hayward seemed like an unlikely candidate to ditch the Jazz for a bigger market.
If an overlooked, small-town family man from Brownsburg, Indiana couldn’t be happy as a star in Utah, why would fans believe any player could be happy here?
Of course, nobody could have predicted how quickly fortunes would change for both Hayward and the Jazz after he left.
The forward suffered a career-altering ankle injury just minutes into his Celtics tenure while the Jazz unknowingly had the next face of the franchise in Donovan Mitchell already on the roster.
Mitchell would become a multi-time All-Star in Utah while Hayward never again averaged more than 20 points per game over the final seven years of his career.
“It’s hard to look back and say, what if?” Hayward acknowledged after choosing Boston over the Jazz and the Miami Heat.
Will Jazz Fans Welcome Gordon Hayward Back?
Hayward is far from the only Jazz player to have an ugly departure from the team.
A spat between head coach Frank Layden and Adrian Dantley saw the All-Star traded to the Detroit Pistons in the middle of his career.
Deron Williams was similarly shipped to the New Jersey Nets after a confrontation led to the abrupt retirement of coach Jerry Sloan.
Despite their exits, Jazz fans have welcomed both players back with open arms.
Missed last night’s premiere??? 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮💜
Note Worthy premieres on JAZZ+ tomorrow, Aug 12 at 5PM MT 🗓️ and on YouTube Tuesday, Aug 13 at 5PM MT 🗓️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/zXSb8mFyhh
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 12, 2024
But, there is one key difference between those divorces and Hayward’s.
The Jazz chose to trade Dantley and Williams, while Hayward opted to leave Utah.
Hayward’s appearance on the Roundball Roundup podcast is a notable sign that he’s willing to reconcile his past with the state, but do fans want him back?
The organization has been littered with All-Stars since its early days in New Orleans, but few alumni still hold a place within the organization, leaving a void that Hayward could ideally fill.
Pete Maravich died long before he had time to be properly appreciated in retirement.
Related: Gordon Hayward Retires After 14-Year NBA Career
Dantley makes occasional appearances, but they are few and far between.
John Stockton and Karl Malone are the best players in franchise history, but both prefer to avoid the spotlight in retirement.
Williams has moved back to the state, and with teammate Carlos Boozer is the closest thing to a team ambassador, but they both enjoyed productive careers after they left Utah, and their presence is rarely felt.
Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will one day be recognized, but as active players on opposing rosters, that celebration is still far down the road.
Had Hayward spent more time in Utah playing next to Mitchell and Gobert, perhaps his podcast appearance would have been welcomed. But for now, the response to his comments has been overwhelmingly negative.
Nobody cares.
— UJ (@Jazztimejones) August 22, 2024
“Nobody cares,” one Jazz fan replied to the video.
“We don’t want to hear from this dude,” another response said. “Get him out of here.”
Of the more than three dozen replies, and even more posts quoting the video, Jazz fans aren’t yet ready to reconcile with their former star.
However, for the notoriously stubborn Hayward to extend an olive branch to the fanbase that first welcomed him to the NBA, he’s shown a willingness to repair the broken relationship.
Jazz fans may not be ready to embrace the former lottery pick so soon after his retirement, but those hard feelings will one day fade, and Hayward will take his place as yet another one of the team’s prodigal sons.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
