"Telling no lies", "Keep his name out of your mouth": NBA fans divided over Gordon Hayward's remarks on Kobe Bryant's final game

By Miguel de Guzman

Modified Jan 02, 2024 17:54 GMT

Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers being defended by Gordon Hayward

In the final game of his twenty-year NBA career, Kobe Bryant led the LA Lakers against the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center. Many high-profile individuals were present, including former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and a handful of celebrities.

However, aside from the people who were watching on the sidelines, there were also a few people who got to witness the action much closer than anybody else: the players from both the Lakers and the Jazz. Among the guys who suited up that night was former Jazz forward Gordon Hayward, who personally defended Kobe on several possessions that night.

In a recent episode of Paul George's podcast, "Podcast P," Hayward was asked about Kobe's iconic final game, and based on his comments, it appears he was not all that impressed.

This particular snippet of the episode was discussed on Reddit and Hayward's comments divided the NBA community on the r/Lakers subreddit. Here are some of the comments from people who seemed unhappy with Hayward.

Meanwhile, here are some comments from those who agree, including one user who said that Hayward was telling no lies.

Toward the end of the conversation about Kobe, Hayward didn't have anything but praise for the late Laker legend as he talked about working out with him.

Looking at Kobe Bryant's final NBA game

The end of Kobe Bryant's career was marred with injuries that left him as a shell of his former self. From 2013-2015, the "Black Mamba" only played in a total of 41 games. At the beginning of the 2015-16 season, he wrote a letter to the game of basketball, announcing that that campaign would be his last.

In his final season, he played in 66 games wherein he averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. However, in true Kobe fashion, he saved his best for last. With almost every basketball fan glued to the game, Kobe suited up in front of the Lakers home crowd one final time.

The Utah Jazz were up for most of the game, but Kobe would not allow his team to fall without a fight. Despite his team being down by ten points with just over three minutes left (94-84 with 3:12 on the clock), he led a valiant comeback to give his team the 101-96 victory. He also capped off his legendary career with a 60-point performance on 22/50 shooting.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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