Gordon Hayward recalls hilarious memory with Jazz involving Metta Sandiford-Artest

With former Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward now retired, now is the time for him to reflect on some of his happier memories in his 14-year NBA career. Because half of that was spent with the Jazz, a fair amount of said memories were with them.

Hayward revealed during his appearance on "The Dan Le Batard Show" that early on his career - likely his rookie season, though he never specified when - he revealed that he came into the league with many believing he was a poor defender.

"For whatever reason, when you see a white guy checking in, you start going at him," Hayward said. "I wasn't the worst defender on the team in Utah, but I had to make sure I made a stop the first time. Otherwise, they would go at me all game."

Hayward even referenced a specific preseason game against the Lakers in which Metta Sandiford-Artest (back when his name was Ron Artest) where Artest not only told Kobe Bryant to throw the ball to him down low, but also said Hayward looked like pop star Justin Bieber.

"Ron Artest saw me checking in, he looked at me, then looked at Kobe Bryant, and started saying, 'Kobe, pass me in the post, I've got Justin Bieber guarding me'."

Hayward admitted that though there may have been other factors at play, he believes white players like him are not known for their defense.

"Maybe it was also related to my face and hair and not just me being white, but yeah, there is a stereotype that if you are white, you play no defense."

Given the time period, his youth probably played a factor as well since many weren't familiar with his game.

Hayward had another particularly funny instance in his younger days with the Jazz

There were other funny memories with Hayward back when he played for the Jazz. Among the most notable was when former NBA player Delonte West actually gave Hayward a wet willie during his sophomore season.

The irony is that West was coming off his second tenure with the Boston Celtics while Hayward was five years away from joining them.

Hayward definitely left a complicated legacy with the Jazz, but there's no denying that he made some funny stories during his time in Utah. Even if some of them weren't directly caused by him.