Bahamian National Basketball Association (NBA) player Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield has come a long way from his days in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, to having his No. 24 collegiate jersey retired by his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.
Hield’s four-year run with the Oklahoma Sooners was honored in a big way as the program hung his jersey from the rafters during a men’s basketball game halftime ceremony at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday night.
The Grand Bahamian sharpshooter’s time with the Sooners men’s basketball program will always be memorable from both sides, particularly Hield’s Final Four showing with the 2015-16 men’s basketball team.
The former Sooners guard said he was happy to be around team members, and coaches, from that time, including former Sooners men’s basketball head coach Lon Kruger.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” Hield said at a press conference. “When I was here (University of Oklahoma), those years made me who I am. Faith made me who I am, as a person. As a player you all know what I did, but I think I grew a lot as a person from the leadership from Coach Kruger.”
The latest jersey retirement made Hield the sixth player to have his number retired to the rafters at the Lloyd Noble Center. He joins an exclusive club that includes former Sooners players Wayman Tisdale, Alvan Adams, Mookie Blaylock, Stacey King and Blake Griffin.
Hield had a phenomenal four-year tenure in Norman, Oklahoma.
The NBA veteran propelled the Sooners to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four after opting to spend his senior season with the team.
He dropped in 37 points and made eight threes to help the Sooners knock off Oregon and advance to the NCAA Final Four during the 2015-16 season.
Hield received a number of top awards in his senior season with the Sooners.
He won the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
The two-time Big 12 Player of the Year closed out his four-year tenure with the Sooners program averaging 17.4 points, five rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep. In his final season, he averaged 25 points, 5.7 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from long range. Hield led the nation in three-point shots at the time.
Since his college days, he has gone on to have a reputable career in the NBA.
Hield was drafted sixth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. The gifted three-point specialist has played for six NBA teams in his nine seasons in the league.
Hield was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2017 and won the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2020.
For his career, he has averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range.
He has emerged as one of the league’s best three-point shooters and is currently ranked in the league’s top 15 on the all-time three-pointers made list.
Hield was recently traded to the Atlanta Hawks after spending last season with the Golden State Warriors.