Former Jazz starter congratulates Gordon Hayward following retirement announcement

Former Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward announced his retirement from the NBA on August 1 via social media, both on Instagram and on his X account.

Among those who publicly congratulated Hayward was former Jazzman and one of Hayward's teammates, Derrick Favors. Favors commented on Hayward's Instagram post, writing, "Amazing career G Time!" with two flame emojis.

Hayward and Favors played over six years together

Favors and Hayward came up together for the Jazz. While Hayward was drafted by the team in 2010, Favors was acquired several months later in the package deal for Deron Williams. From there on out, he and Hayward helped the Jazz make the playoffs twice, one of which led to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2017.

Hayward blossomed into one of the NBA's best wings during his heyday with the Jazz. Favors blossomed into a dependable starter. When Rudy Gobert had to miss playoff time because of injuries, Favors stepped in for him to help the Jazz win.

The difference between the two is that they left Jazz on completely opposite terms. Hayward's departure and the fashion in which he did it still makes Jazz fans grind their teeth at the mention of his name. So much so that bringing up the possibility of a reunion would easily be shot down, never to be said again.

That's far from the case with Favors, who was a trooper in Utah even when their success led to him coming off the bench. He embraced the Jazz's culture so much that, even when they traded him to New Orleans for salary cap room, Favors still came back the following season anyway. Even though they traded him again in a salary dump, not one person in Utah has anything bad to say about Favors.

The funny coincidence in all of this is that both Hayward's and Favors' last NBA stop were with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder acquired Favors because they were starting their rebuild and took assets to absorb Favors' salary. Hayward was acquired two years later in their quest for a title, which did not go as well as they would have hoped.

No matter how anyone feels about the two Jazz alumni, it is cool from a nostalgic standpoint to see former Jazz teammates congratulating another after all this time since they were teammates. Even if it involves a player who lives in Jazz infamy like Gordon Hayward.