Gordon Hayward college career: Ex-Butler forward's stats, career records, notable achievements and more

Former Butler Bulldogs star Gordon Hayward was an unfancied three-star prospect when he joined the program in 2008 but left in 2010 as a legend. He was drafted No. 9 overall by the Utah Jazz and it was mostly due to a stellar college basketball career.

Hayward announced his retirement from the game on Thursday after playing for the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA. However, it is his final season at Butler that still stands out.

In 2008, he chose the Bulldogs over offers from the Purdue Boilermakers and the Michigan Wolverines. On his way to being named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and making the All-Horizon League First Team as a freshman, he averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. His strong year led Butler to the Horizon League regular season championship.

Hayward's second season caught everyone's eyes and cemented his college career as a memorable one. He led his team to both the Horizon League regular season championship and the tournament championship and also won the conference's Player of the Year Award.

However, Hayward was not done yet. With averages of 15.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, he led the Bulldogs to the national championship game against the Duke Blue Devils.

In the dying seconds of the game and the Bulldogs trailing by two points, Gordon Hayward launched a half-court shot to give his team the title. The ball hit the board and rim before ultimately bouncing out. Despite the miss, the shot remains one of the most unforgettable plays in NCAA tournament history. For his efforts, he was named an AP All-American and selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Gordon Hayward's shot at immortality at Butler

Even after losing to Duke at the national championship game, Gordon Hayward was a certified celebrity at Butler and made himself a legend there. The heave from half-court with 3.6 seconds remaining on the clock was Hayward's shot at immortality and he only missed it by a few inches.

During an interview with the "Basketball Network," former Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke about the attempt by Hayward.

"Missed heave," Krzyzewski said. "I hate when they call it a shot. I never looked at Hayward's as a shot; I looked at it as a heave, and when you shoot from 50 feet, it's a heave. And when it does go in, whether it goes in at the end of a half or the end of the game, it's a heck of a thing."

Gordon Hayward will be fondly remembered for a steady NBA career across four teams, but to Butler fans, he is a legend.