The NBA Didn't Know Buddy Hield Was Actually 26 Instead Of 25 Until He Just Announced It
[NBC Sports] – Prior to taking the floor, Hield told the Kings broadcast team of Grant Napear and Doug Christie that he turned 26 years old. Strangely enough, every media outlet has his birthday listed as Dec. 17, 1993, which would make him 25.
“That’s their fault, not my fault,” Hield said when asked why everywhere, including the NBA’s website, has him listed as 25. “The first time I saw it on Wikipedia, my mom said, ‘Why do they have your age wrong?’ I said, ‘I have no idea.’ ”
Born in Freeport, the main city on the island of Grand Bahama, Hield came to the U.S. with identification and, according to the Kings star, all of it has the correct date.
“I came over with a passport,” Hield said. “My passport has 1992 on it. My driver’s license has 1992 on it. I just think people got their information from Wikipedia or wherever, and they just went with it. They just got it wrong.”
“I gave them [the Kings] my passport, Peja [Stojakovic] and Vlade [Divac] know what age I am,” Hield said. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
When reached for comment, Divac confirmed the team has Hield’s birth year as 1992 — the same as Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Kings general manager isn’t sure where the incorrect date came from, but he’s confident the team has the right information.
This is my favorite story of the year. Coming in right at the buzzer too. I mean it’s just perfect. As it’s explained Buddy Hield didn’t do anything wrong besides never correcting an announcer or anything like that or telling someone in the organization that he’s a year older and to update the profiles.
Now, luckily for him, I guess, is that the Kings front office knew his real age. It could have gotten a bit ugly if not the case and found out later, especially with the year that Hield is having. He’s having a breakout year as he’s putting up nearly 20 points per game and shooting 43% from three. On top of that he’s up for an extension after this year and will likely sign it with the Kings as part of this core.
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Of course this happened to the Kings though. No matter how much of a surprise start they are having. No matter how much guys like Hield and Fox are improving, it’s always something with the Kings. They just always seem to find themselves in the weirdest stories – whether it was Divac’s white board getting leaked, fighting within the organization and now this.
We’ll see if there’s any sort of backlash stemming from this. I mean, the only thing I can think of is someone getting pissed that he didn’t correct the NBA right away. But, he announced that he is 26 and was listed correctly age wise at Oklahoma and during the NBA Draft. So, I’m not quite sure what happened. Either way, Hield is having a hell of a year and will get an extension even if he’s 26 instead of 25.