Former Jazz All-Star Announces Retirement From NBA

Gordon Hayward's career has been quite the journey. At one point, the former Utah Jazz All-Star was on track to become a bona fide superstar incident. Sadly, a freak injury a few years ago sparked years of struggles with various injuries.

On Thursday, Hayward took to X and announced he will retire from the NBA. The former Jazz star penned a letter thanking his family, his teammates, and plenty more for their support.

"Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball," Hayward wrote. "It's been an incredible ride and I'm so grateful to everyone who helped me achieve more than I ever imagined."

Hayward was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the ninth pick in the 2010 draft. After a few years of flying under the radar, the Butler product broke out in 2017 as an All-Star player. In that year, he averaged a career-high 21.9 points per game with 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

After that season, Hayward signed with the Boston Celtics to form what was supposed to be a super-team. However, tragedy struck from the very first game. Hayward suffered a gruesome ankle fracture in the first game of the 2017 season, forcing him to miss the entire year.

Hayward returned the following season for the Celtics. While he still provided value on the court, it was clear that his All-Star days were behind him. Additionally, Hayward struggled with various injuries that forced him to miss time.

Hayward was traded to the Hornets in the 2020-21 season. He played in Charlotte until last season when he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the deadline. He retires from the NBA with career averages of 15.2 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game.