Tag: Jaxson Hayes

WATCH: Lonzo Ball roasts Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart while bowling

The New Orleans Pelicans spent Friday evening at the bowling alley and Lonzo Ball was sure to roast each of his teammates on Instagram.

The NBA season taking place in a bubble means that only a limited amount of activities are available to the teams and players for the days and weeks to come. The result, though, is moments like the one Lonzo Ball posted to his Instagram.

One of the places open to the players is a bowling alley, a location the Pelicans traveled to on Friday evening. While every player on the team may be a natural at basketball, few of them are naturals at bowling. And Lonzo Ball was sure to call out each one of them on his Instagram Story.

Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Jaxson Hayes and Sindarius Thornwell all were recipients of Ball’s trash talk. Interestingly, Ball himself was not filmed bowling, though Josh Hart was certain to point out on his own Instagram Story who was the winner in their battle.

The lack of video of Ball is interesting. Is his bowling form as poor as his shooting form? How odd could a bowling form be? Does he throw it over his head? Does it also come across his body?

Hopefully, Hart or Ingram or another teammate return the favor and roast Ball on their own Instagram Stories next bowling outing.

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Pelicans’ Jaxson Hayes names his favorite all-time NBA game-winner

The Pelicans rookie named a game-winner by LeBron James as his favorite of all-time.

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Over the history of the NBA, there have been several dozen pivotal game-winning shots by some of the best players to ever play. From Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant, these shots helped define the legacy of several star players.

LeBron James has etched his name into the history books, as well.

“The King” was once questioned in clutch moments early on in his career but he has since become one of the best players in those situations. James has five career postseason game-winners to his name, with his last ones coming during the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On Saturday, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes hosted a Q&A on Twitter as part of the “NBA Together” campaign and fielded a number of questions from fans, including his favorite all-time game-winner in NBA history.

“My favorite NBA game-winner of all-time has to be the LeBron game-winner against Chicago in the 2015 playoffs,” Hayes said. “The shot was just crazy and it was for the game, too, so it was awesome.”

With the Cavaliers facing a 2-1 series deficit to the Bulls in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, James helped even the series after drilling a game-winner with 1.5 seconds left. James would go on to finish with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

The 2014-14 season was the first in which James returned to the Cavaliers. They made the playoffs that season and it marked the first of four consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals.

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Pelicans’ Jaxson Hayes teams up with restaurant to donate meals

The Pelicans rookie helped donate 500 meals to frontline workers in the southeast Louisiana area.

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New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes has teamed up with a local restaurant to provide 500 meals to frontline workers, the team announced in a press release.

Hayes and Krispy Krunchy Chicken will work together to donate the meals to the environmental services crew at Ochsner Health facilities across southeast Louisiana.

“I’m grateful to be partnering with Krispy Krunchy Chicken and the Pelicans to provide meals for Ochsner’s environmental services crew across southeast Louisiana,” Hayes said in the release. “We all have a role to play in serving our community, and on behalf of my family and I – thank you to all the employees who keep our hospitals safe and clean.”

Several players and teams across the NBA have joined together to help support those not only directly affected by the coronavirus but also the healthcare professionals that are working tirelessly to provide aid to those in need.

Of course, Hayes’ teammate, Zion Williamson, announced in March that he would cover the salaries of those workers at the Smoothie King Center for 30 days. In addition, Boston Celtics rookie Grant Williams also donated food to local healthcare workers.

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Flashback Friday? Jaxson Hayes remembers playing against Zion in AAU

Hayes played his first AAU game with 22 Vision against Zion Williamson and SC Supreme back in 2017.

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Jaxson Hayes and Zion Williamson once squared off on the hardwood long before becoming teammates as rookies this season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

As it turned out, Hayes played his first AAU game with 22 Vision in 2017 against Williamson and SC Supreme. Hayes tallied three points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the win over SC Supreme while Williamson had 26 points and seven rebounds.

Hayes reminisced a little bit on Instagram and posted a photo that snapped him defending Williamson when they played each other on April 21, 2017.

View this post on Instagram

Young bulls

A post shared by Jaxson Hayes (@sideshowjax_) on

Of course, Hayes eventually played collegiately at Texas while Williamson became the Consensus National Player of the Year at Duke during the 2018-19 season before they went on to become first-round picks by the Pelicans.

The two rookies have become good friends this year in New Orleans and have taken part in a number of activities off of the court together, from attending a New Orleans Saints game to going to a Tulane football game.

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Jaxson Hayes said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had biggest influence on him

Jaxson Hayes knows how much influence Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has had on the bigs that came after him.

Bigs in today’s NBA game have different archetypes compared to yesteryear.

The quintessential big man now can do a little bit of everything, from occasionally posting up, to slipping pick and rolls, to shooting threes from the perimeter. 30 years ago, though, bigs were restricted mainly to the paint and worked there for buckets.

New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes is a budding rim runner, and his shot blocking gives him potential to have a long, successful career.

But as a new age center, Hayes recently told Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com that a player who impacted his game was a product of the old school.

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, because of his sky hook,” Hayes said. “He’s a huge influence for a lot of bigs.”

Hayes paying homage to Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest center ever, shows how Abdul-Jabbar created the foundation for the big men who came after him. As the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Abdul-Jabbar had an array of moves in the post.

Along with his elite offense, Abdul-Jabbar is also one of the best defenders ever. According to NBA.com stats, he ranks third all-time in blocks behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo.

With Hayes’ career still very young, his upside is high. During his rookie season, he’s shown his own defensive prowess, ranking second in blocks (0.9) on the Pelicans behind Derrick Favors.

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Young Pelicans fan practices player names in adorable video

To pass the time in quarantine, a young Pelicans fan named players from NBA trading cards in an adorable video.

Even without the NBA, one young New Orleans Pelicans fan is making sure she remembers the names and faces of all her favorite players.

Andrea Patterson posted a video to Twitter of her young daughter naming Pelicans players off NBA cards Patterson holds up in front of her. She gets most of them right, seems to really like center Jaxson Hayes, and has a perfect guess as to what is the last name of point guard Lonzo Ball.

She’s going to be more polished than most of us once the season gets back from hiatus. Take a look at the adorable video of the big fan:

The caption reads “Some people homeschool in times of quarantine. We do @PelicansNBA flashcards.”

We gotta say, we can’t think of a more productive way to spend the time inside.

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WATCH: New Orleans Pelicans Release Video Of Jaxson Hayes’ Dunks

To celebrate his great rookie season, the Pelicans put out a video showing Hayes’ best dunks of the season. You can watch it here:

The NBA was at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, being the first of many sporting leagues to cancel their season. Before the issue became prevalent in the association though, Jaxson Hayes was enjoying a stellar rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Being drafted 10th overall in the 2019 Draft, Hayes had been playing with five other rookies, including Zion Williamson. On average, he was playing 17 minutes a game and putting up good numbers.

Scoring 7.5 points, securing four rebounds, and blocking nearly one shot per game, Hayes was a presence in the paint on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

To celebrate his great rookie season, the Pelicans’ Twitter account put out a video showing Hayes’ best dunks of the season. You can watch it here:

The young center played in 56 of New Orleans’ 64 games this season. When the NBA does return to either finish up the 2019-2020 season or to start new in 2020-2021, Hayes will continue to be a key piece for a young Pelicans squad.

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Jaxson Hayes apologizes for vulgar comments after Rising Stars snub

Jaxson Hayes issued an apology on Friday after making vulgar comments directed at the NBA for his exclusion on the Rising Stars roster. 

New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes issued an apology on Friday after making vulgar comments directed at the NBA for his exclusion on the Rising Stars roster.

The NBA unveiled on Friday the 10 first- and second-year players selected to participate in the Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend next month in Chicago and Hayes was among those not selected.

Pelicans teammates Zion Williamson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were among the rookies selected to participate in the event. While Williamson and Alexander-Walker made the team, veteran Jrue Holiday was upset Hayes didn’t make the cut.

After the rosters were unveiled, a video featuring Hayes surfaced on social media where he is heard making insensitive comments for not making the team.

Warning: The video contains inappropriate language

The comments made by Hayes went viral as the Pelicans played the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Immediately following the game, Hayes took to his Instagram account to issue an apology, vowing to learn from his mistake.

Jrue Holiday wasn’t happy Jaxson Hayes was left off Rising Stars team

After a strong rookie campaign, Pelicans veteran Jrue Holiday didn’t appreciate his rookie teammate was snubbed from the Rising Stars game.

The NBA unveiled on Friday the 10 first- and second-year players selected to participate in the Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend next month in Chicago.

Zion Williamson and Ja Morant headlined the rookies chosen to play in the event as selected by the assistant coaches in the NBA. The 26th Rising Stars game features a United States vs. World format with some of the top, young players from around the world.

As Williamson made the cut, New Orleans Pelicans rookie teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker was also selected to play in the event as the Canadian will suit up for the World Team. While Williamson and Alexander-Walker made it, fellow Pelican Jaxson Hayes was snubbed.

Pelicans veteran Jrue Holiday was not happy Hayes was left off the roster.

In 45 games this season, Hayes is averaging 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and one assist in 19.2 minutes per game. Prior to the debut of Williamson, Hayes was perhaps the most exciting rookie in New Orleans given his athleticism and ability to sky-high for blocks and dunks.

The U.S. roster for the Rising Stars Game was stacked with several worthy players so Hayes had a tough road to make it ahead of the likes of Williamson, Eric Paschall and P.J. Washington in the frontcourt.

Rising Stars will air live on Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT in the United States.

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Jaxson Hayes’ development adds to Pelicans’ bright future

Jaxson Hayes has provided the New Orleans Pelicans with a big boost after recent strong games against the Knicks and Bulls.

Seen as more of a long-term prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft, Jaxson Hayes’ production this season has been an added bonus for New Orleans this season. After a rocky opening handful of months this season, Hayes has strung together a handful of strong performances in recent contests, including his first career double-double against Chicago on Wednesday.

He followed that up by notching a double-double against the Knicks two nights later, then scored a career-high 20 points in a loss to Boston on Saturday.

During shootaround for Friday’s game in Madison Square Garden, Lonzo Ball talked about Hayes’ development this season.

“He always plays hard. For him, it’s more about playing smart. I think that it’s hard for guys to finish over him on the defensive end. And on offense, obviously the pick and roll and offensive rebounding helps us a lot. For him, it’s just staying in the gym and playing smart.”

One of the biggest changes in recent games has been Hayes’ defensive play. While it’s still a work in progress, Hayes’ defensive rating of 114.1 in the last four games ranks third on the team among regular rotation players. On the season, Hayes is averaging 1.2 blocks per game. As Ball also noted, his physical capabilities help him impact both ends of the court.

“As tall as he is, as high as he can jump, he can help us on both ends of the court. Everybody tells him that all the time. It’s just about him doing it now.

“This is his first year. He’s only 19 so he’s got a lot to learn. But he picks it up fast and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

Hayes’ play this season accelerates the timeline of the Pelicans’ rebuild. With him being a contributing member of the young core so quickly, the Pelicans have yet another asset to either move forward with or use to land a superstar via trade in the near future.

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