Butler basketball, Brownsburg star Gordon Hayward announces NBA retirement

Brownsburg High School and Butler basketball legend Gordon Hayward announced his retirement Thursday on social media.

"God has blessed me with an amazing journey, one that has taken turns I couldn't have expected or dreamed of as a kid in Brownsburg, Indiana," his message began.

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The 34-year-old thanked his family, coaches, teammates, trainers, doctors, friends and agent.

"To all my fans: thank you for supporting me through the ups and downs. I'll always cherish the letters of encouragement and the moments we've shared around the world," he wrote. "You inspired me to always dream big and improve every day — and for the young players up next, I challenge you to do the same!"

Hayward led Brownsburg to the 2008 Class 4A state championship on a buzzer-beater against Marion, and was an Indiana All-Star.

At Butler, Hayward started right away and averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman. In the Bulldogs' 2010 Final Four run, he averaged 15.5 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Hayward played 14 NBA seasons, the first seven in Utah after being selected ninth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. He made the 2017 All-Star Game on his way to averaging a career-high 21.9 points per game, as well as 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He improved his scoring average every season with the Jazz.

Hayward signed with the Boston Celtics in 2016 but suffered a severe leg injury 6 minutes into the season opener. He returned the next season and played in Boston through 2019-20. He played three-plus seasons for the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder midway through last season.

Gordon Hayward highlights

He made a buzzer-beating layup to lift Brownsburg to a 40-39 win over Marion in the 2008 Class 4A state championship game.

Oddly, Hayward's most-viewed highlight at Butler was a shot he missed. He led the Bulldogs to 25 straight wins and to the 2010 national championship game. He launched a halfcourt shot at the buzzer against Duke that rimmed out.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball, Brownsburg star Gordon Hayward announces NBA retirement