The opposite day once I was researching the piece on Devin Booker being the one member of the 2025 NBA Draft class to nonetheless be on the identical workforce that drafted him, I used to be checking the roster for the Suns. I figured that Booker was going to be one of many older members of the workforce and that he’d even have extra years of expertise.
For verification, he does have extra years of NBA expertise than the opposite members of the Suns roster, however he isn’t the eldest.
Dillon Brooks, who’s eight months older than Booker, has solely been within the league for eight seasons. Grayson Allen has a 12 months on Booker, however simply seven season within the league. Royce O’Neale, three years Booker’s senior, additionally has eight NBA seasons beneath his belt.
And at age 30, Nigel Hayes-Davis can be getting into his second NBA season.
This piqued my curiosity. How was a thirty-year-old in a position to make a return into the massive league?
Hayes-Davis, initially from Westerville, Ohio, performed collegiate ball for Wisconsin making first workforce All-Large Ten in his junior 12 months. Getting into his senior season, he was named Preseason Large Ten Participant of the Yr.
He went undrafted in 2017, however was invited to hitch the New York Knicks in Summer season League earlier than signing on for his rookie 12 months. After being waived, he participant of their G-League affiliate.
Three months later he signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, taking part in in two video games. Two months later he signed a 10-day contract with Toronto, taking part in in two video games with the Raptors. After one other two months, the Sacramento Kings signed Hayes-Davis for the rest of the season. He performed in 5 video games earlier than being waived through the summer time.
Since 2018, Hayes-Davis has performed abroad the place he has amassed success. Lithuanian League Championships in 2020 and 2021, the Spanish Cup in 2022, Turkish Cup in 2024 and 2025 taking Finals MVP within the latter competitors, EuroLeague Championship in 2025 the place was the Finals prime scorer.
With content material success, he garnered consideration from the NBA. Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla even made a visit to Istanbul to examine him out. In the long run, he signed a one-year cope with the Suns.
Only a reminder that the subsequent massive alternative may be proper across the nook.
Again in the summertime of 2019, I made a visit to Utah to cowl the Spurs on the Salt Lake Metropolis Summer season League. Among the many newly drafted trio of Luka Samanic, Keldon Johnson, and Quinndary Weatherspoon was twenty-eight-year-old Thomas Robinson. I recall Jabari Younger strolling as much as him and Robinson asking why he wished to speak to him. Younger commented that he was occupied with how Robinson had gotten the Spurts consideration to earn this shot.
It is going to be fascinating to see how Hayes-Davis embraces his alternative.
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