Gordon Hayward Talks About His Relationship With Kobe Bryant: "He Was In My Corner And Taught Me More Than Anything"

Gordon Hayward was one of the stars of the NBA in the 2010s, becoming the most recognizable player on the Utah Jazz and an NBA All-Star. Injuries haven’t allowed Hayward to have the success he was tipped for, but he’s still in the NBA.

Hayward had a strong relationship with Kobe Bryant, telling the story of how he and Kobe worked out together one summer. Kobe made the process a little unpleasant for Hayward, promoting the current Hornets forward to think he was being tested by the Mamba.

“I think the whole thing was him just like testing me like, ‘Who is this? Does he want to work? Is he gonna be bulls**tting, like what’s his deal? Because I’m not gonna put in the effort if he’s not going to,’ type thing. From then on, he was kind of like in my corner and he taught me more than anything, it’s just the mentality. I think that’s what really took me to the next level, was that mentality.”

Hayward came into the NBA in 2010, so he played Kobe coming off his fifth championship until he retired. Unfortunately, Hayward truly blossomed later in his career and never managed to have a signature game against in 14 encounters, Hayward averaged 9.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists against Kobe.

In the meantime, Kobe averaged 24.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in those encounters. Despite the number, Kobe didn’t hold a winning record over Hayward and the Jazz, winning six out of the 14 total encounters.

Kobe Bryant Retired Against Hayward And The Jazz

Kobe Bryant played his final NBA game against the Utah Jazz, with Gordon Hayward on the floor for that game as well. It was a legendary game, as Kobe dropped 60 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the final game of his career. Hayward scored 17 points on the night, but that performance was about Kobe capping off his career in style.

The mentorship Kobe gave Hayward worked, as Gordon was on the path to being one of the best-scoring wings in the NBA. Unfortunately, a horrific injury after joining the Celtics saw him break his leg during his debut. That sidelined him for an entire season, and Hayward has never found that form again.

Hayward is averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists this season for the Hornets. The team looks destined for the lottery once again, so Hayward will collect a cheque of $31.5 million for the season before hitting free agency this summer where he’ll be forced to take a much smaller contract.

Given how Kobe’s career ended with him being plagued with injuries, it’s sad to see Hayward go through the same fate now. Hopefully, he can find a way to be a contributor to a winning franchise once again after wasting the last few years of his career in Charlotte.

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