Hayes attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] He grew from six feet (1.8 m) as a freshman to 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) as a senior.[2] In 2018 he took part in the Junior International Tournament (JIT), in Lissone, Italy, leading Team Ohio to the win of its fifth title.[3] As a senior, he averaged 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks per game. He committed to the University of Texas to play college basketball.[4][5]
College career
As a freshman at Texas, Hayes averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 72.8% from the field. He scored a career-high 19 points along with seven boards, two steals and a block in a 69–56 loss to TCU. Hayes injured his left knee in a loss to Kansas in the Big 12 tournament. He was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year. On April 11, 2019, Hayes declared for the NBA draft, forfeiting his remaining three years of eligibility.[6]
Hayes made his NBA debut for the Pelicans on October 10, 2019, scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting against the Golden State Warriors in an 11-point loss.[8] On November 17, he made his first career start in place of the injured Derrick Favors, achieving his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds along with 3 blocks in a 108–100 victory over the Golden State Warriors.[9] On January 9, 2020, Hayes recorded his second NBA double-double, scoring 14 points and adding 12 rebounds to go along with 4 blocks in under 24 minutes of play.[10] Days later, Hayes recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over the New York Knicks, tallying consecutive double-doubles for the first time in his NBA career.[11] The following night, Hayes posted a then-career-high 20 points in a 35-point loss to the Boston Celtics.[12]
Hayes saw minimal playing time to start the 2021–22 season. On December 6, 2021, the Pelicans assigned him to their NBA G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.[15] He was recalled from the G League two days later.[16] On January 1, 2022, Hayes registered a season-high 23 points, alongside seven rebounds, in a 113–136 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[17] He again scored 23 points, alongside twelve rebounds, on April 5, 2022, during a 123–109 win over the Sacramento Kings that helped the Pelicans clinch a play-in tournament spot.[18] During the second half of the season, Hayes moved into the starting lineup and averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over the last 23 games of the season.[19] The Pelicans qualified for their first playoff appearance since 2018 after play-in wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers.[20][21]
The Pelicans faced the Phoenix Suns during the first round of the playoffs. On April 22, 2022, during a 111–114 game 3 loss, Hayes was ejected after receiving a flagrant 2 foul for pushing Suns forward Jae Crowder.[22] Hayes finished the game with four points and six rebounds in only ten minutes of action.[23] The Pelicans wound up losing the series in six games.
Hayes was arrested on July 28, 2021, and resisted arrest by the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers were investigating a radio call that involved a domestic dispute between Hayes and his girlfriend. Hayes shoved an officer into a wall and was treated for minor injuries before being taken into custody.[26]
