Gordon Hayward recently announced his retirement from the NBA, ending a 14-year career highlighted by an appearance in the 2017 All-Star Game. The former Butler star was a solid two-way player who could score on one end and hold his own on the other. However, despite his proficiency on defense, many opponents still targeted him, believing he was a subpar defender.
In an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show, Gordon recalled an instance where Ron Artest , now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest, demanded the ball from Kobe Bryant because he wanted to take on Hayward on defense.
"I got Bieber guarding me"
At 6-foot-7, 200-plus pounds, Gordon could bang with the best of them on the court. However, the fact that he was white and looked like the boy next door made him an easy target for some players.
"I remember, and this probably didn't necessarily have to do with the fact that I was white, but maybe it was like my face and hair and everything, but when we played the Lakers—I think it was preseason one of the years—and they had Ron Artest, I checked in the game, and he looks at me, then looks back at Kobe, and looks at me again, and he's like, 'Hey Kobe,' pointing at me, 'Just throw me the ball on the post, man. Look who's guarding me. I got Bieber guarding me,'" Hayward said .
True to form, Artest—regarded as one of the strongest players in the league at that time—easily scored and not long after, Gordon found himself back on the bench.
"I mean, what can you do at that point? What am I gonna do, fight Artest? You know what I mean? Like, I was definitely not trying to fight that guy," Gordon joked.
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Facing a stereotype his entire career
As mentioned, Hayward was a solid two-way player who could keep in step with guards, wingmen, and some power forwards. However, opponents often underestimated his athleticism and strength due to the forward's skin color.
"This happened throughout my career; it's like, for whatever reason, when you see the white guy guarding you, it's like, 'Let's ISO him and go at him.' So you gotta hope that you get a stop that first time, or else they're just going to keep going at you every single time. I definitely wasn't the worst defender on the team, but for whatever reason, you know, checking in the game, they go right at me," Gordon stated.
If there's one word to describe Hayward's career, it would be solid. Despite suffering numerous injuries, including a fractured ankle in 2017 that caused him to miss the entire season, he persevered and successfully returned to the hardcourt. He may not have flashy dunks or highlight reel plays, but Hayward was always a reliable scorer and a strong presence on the court.
Related: "When you gonna let these people know you're a black guy from Indiana?" - John Salley on Larry Bird's trash-talking prowess
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