The jersey number that Gordon Hayward wore in college at Butler and for seven seasons with the Utah Jazz is the same one Ray Allen wore when he helped the Boston Celtics win a championship in 2008, but it doesn’t look like that will stop Hayward from keeping it.
Hayward has already updated his Instagram avatar, and it shows him wearing the No. 20 in a Celtics uniform.
Gordon Hayward is apparently planning to wear No. 20 with the Celtics, despite Ray Allen having worn it… pic.twitter.com/qtvt0w5bUd
— Steve DelVecchio (@SteveDelSports) July 7, 2017
That shouldn’t really come as a shock. While some people have wondered if the Celtics will eventually retire the jersey numbers of each member of their former Big Three (Allen’s No. 20, Paul Pierce’s No. 34 and Kevin Garnett’s No. 5), they probably aren’t going to give Allen the honor.
Allen ended up leaving the Celtics to pursue another championship with the Miami Heat, and it became clear recently that there is still bad blood between him and his former Boston teammates. If Hayward wants to keep No. 20, it’s doubtful he’ll be met with any opposition.
