Why will Gordon Hayward wear No. 33 with OKC Thunder? Thank Sonics legend Gary Payton
Gordon Hayward wore No. 20 at Brownsburg High School in suburban Indianapolis. Hayward wore No. 20 in college at Butler. And he’s worn No. 20 at each of his first three NBA stops in Utah, Boston and Charlotte.
But the 33-year-old forward will match his age by wearing No. 33 for the Thunder.
All because of The Glove, Gary Payton — a Seattle SuperSonics legend whose retired No. 20 jersey is still honored by the Thunder. One of few connective threads between the franchise’s time in Seattle and Oklahoma City.
You won’t find Payton’s No. 20 hanging beside Nick Collison’s No. 4 in the Paycom Center rafters, though. Not that Payton wants that, anyway.
“I will not go to Oklahoma and retire my jersey there,” he told a crowd in Seattle in 2017. “You guys were the ones with me every day.”
Seattle is likely to rejoin the NBA ranks when the league expands, and assuming the SuperSonics are revived, perhaps their 1979 NBA title and their list of retired jersey numbers will return to where they belong.
Until then, there will be no No. 20s in Oklahoma City. Not even for Hayward, a former All-Star who’s worn the number since his days as a high school standout. Hayward, acquired by the Thunder at the trade deadline, is expected to make his Thunder debut after the All-Star break.
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Seattle SuperSonics' retired jerseys
Here’s the list of jersey numbers retired by the Sonics which are off limits to the Thunder.
No. 1 Gus Williams: Williams only played six seasons in Seattle, but he etched his place in history as the starting point guard on the 1979 NBA title team. Williams averaged a team-high 26.7 points during that playoff run.
No. 10 Nate McMillan: McMillan played his entire 12-year career (1986-98) in Seattle. He was a two-time All-Defensive team honoree and led the league with 3.0 steals per game in the 1993-94 season. Never a star, McMillan earned the name Mr. Sonic, much like Nick Collison did as Mr. Thunder. McMillan joined the SuperSonics’ coaching staff after he retired. He served as head coach from 2000-05.
No. 19 Lenny Wilkens: Wilkens, a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, was an All-Star in three of his four seasons (1969-72) in Seattle. But his biggest contribution to the franchise came as the coach of the 1979 championship team.
No. 24 Spencer Haywood: Haywood’s jersey was retired in 2007, a year before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City. Haywood played for six teams, but his stint in Seattle (1970-75) was the best stretch of his career. He was an All-Star in four of his five seasons with the Sonics, twice finishing in the top-10 of the MVP voting.
No. 32 Fred Brown: Downtown Freddie Brown was a Sonics lifer, playing for the franchise from 1971-84. The one-time All-Star was a member of Seattle’s title team. Brown shot a league-leading 44% from 3-point range in 1979-80, the first season the 3-point line was introduced.
No. 43 Jack Sikma: Sikma played for the Sonics from 1977-86. The 6-foot-11 center won an NBA title and was a seven-time All-Star in Seattle. Sikma served as an assistant coach in Seattle from 2003-07.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gordon Hayward will wear No. 33 jersey for OKC Thunder due to Sonics
