Hayward Sends Autographed Jersey To Jazz-Fan Family In Mourning
Jun 18, 2019, 6:31 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
Gordon Hayward (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Although his departure in free agency may have upset a lot of Utah Jazz fans, Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward still cares about the members of his former fanbase.
Twitter user Griffin Adams posted a story on social media about how Hayward sent a gift to a family of Jazz fans after the family experienced some recent hardship.
According to Adams, his sister who lives in Rexburg recently had a stillbirth, losing her developing baby, Charlotte. One of her friends, who works for the Celtics organization passed the story along to Hayward, who sent an autographed jersey to the family, made out to each of the members of the family including Charlotte.
Story time: My saint of a sister, who was ~7 months pregnant, unfortunately went through a stillbirth with their sweet baby girl, Charlotte, last month. A friend of hers, who works for @celtics, told @gordonhayward about their story so he sent them this signed, game-worn jersey. pic.twitter.com/enbZZBWh5u
— Griffin Adams (@GriffDoug) June 18, 2019
Hayward signed with the Celtics in July 2017 after spending his first seven seasons in Utah. He was named an All-Star with the Jazz during his last year with the team.
The former 2010 Jazz lottery pick drew harsh criticism after announcing his decision to sign with the Celtics in an article on the athlete-driven The Players’ Tribune. After sitting out nearly the entire 2017-18 season due to a serious ankle injury, he returned to Utah for the first time in 2018 to bevy of boos from the Jazz fans at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Jazz fans also voted Donovan Mitchell’s chase down block on Hayward as this last season’s moment of the year, perhaps largely due to the fact that it was Hayward on the receiving end.
Still, Hayward’s kind gesture towards Adams’ sister isn’t the only time he’s given back to Jazz fans after moving on to Boston. He also sent young Jazz fan and cancer fighter J.P. Gibson a brand new Nintendo Switch in August 2017, a month after he had signed with Boston.
