Utah Jazz fans have heard all the Gordon Hayward chatter and see the writing on the wall. But they’re doing everything they can to change it.
Hayward, Utah’s best player and lone All-Star, will become a free agent this summer, and the Boston Celtics are one of several teams not named the Jazz expected to pursue him. Hayward leaving Utah would be a tough break for a Jazz team on the rise, so superfan Garrett Jones decided to take action.
Jones launched a bold GoFundMe campaign Tuesday soliciting money to build a massive billboard in Salt Lake City with a plea for Hayward.
The message would go up on a billboard between Utah’s practice facility and Vivint Smart Home Arena for the whole month of May, with the thought that Hayward would drive by it every day and be overwhelmed enough by fans’ support that he’d re-sign with the Jazz.
It’s an admirable (if a bit naive) campaign — Jones noted any funds raised over the target amount would be donated to Hayward’s friend’s campaign to raise money for cancer research — but the best part in all of this were the comments it received on GoFundMe.
Like the guy posing as LeBron James who wrote, “Just want to keep you off the Celtics man.” Or the enthusiastic fan who compared Hayward to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady:
“Utah loves Hayward! You are the man here in Utah. Boston already has their man, Tom Brady. You will be Salt Lake’s Tom Brady if you stay and Jazz will win it all!”
Hayward has a long way to go to become “Salt Lake’s Tom Brady,” but apparently he’s pretty well-liked around those parts: The campaign already had raised $3,200 of its $5,000 goal as of Thursday.
H/t to For the Win
Thumbnail photo via Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports Images
