Killian Hayes

Killian Deron Antron Hayes is a French-American professional basketball player born on July 27, 2001. Currently, he is an integral part of the Detroit Pistons within the National Basketball Association (NBA). His journey into the sport was inspired and guided by his father, DeRon Hayes, also a professional basketball player. Born in Lakeland, Florida, Little Killian opted for France to grow and learn his game due to his father’s flourishing career abroad.

Hayes started to display exceptional skills in basketball quite early in life when he became part of the French club Cholet. Within a short span, his prowess on the court was evident as he dominated the junior level matches. His breakthrough to senior division came at the young age of 16 when he was included in Cholet’s senior team, where he saw regular action in the following season. His journey continued overseas in 2019 when he moved to Germany to play for Ulm.

Gracing the basketball court with his agile moves and court IQ, Hayes turned many heads in his young career. His emphatic display during the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship won him the gold medal along with the most valuable player (MVP) award. Moreover, his ability to lead from the front was displayed in the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup where he led the French team to a silver medal.

In the early years, Hayes played basketball in Florida where he consistently competed against older athletes. His skills were honed further through pick-up games in Lakeland and Orlando. He frequently watched basketball games on YouTube, with Dwyane Wade being one of his greatest inspirations. He adopted and learned new moves from watching AND1 mixtapes. He played at the youth level for Cholet Basket, the club his father was previously associated with.

Hayes declined an opportunity to join INSEP, a renowned sports institute in Paris, on his parents’ advice. He started his professional journey by playing for Espoirs Cholet in the LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league. Despite being five to seven years younger than most of his opponents, Hayes made his parents proud by averaging 4.7 points and 2.3 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.

Transitioning from junior to senior wasn’t smooth for this ambitious guard. However, he managed to leave his mark while playing for Cholet’s senior team. He made his debut for the team at 16 years of age, but his performance to remember came in May 2018 when he recorded 12 points and six assists to contribute to a win against Le Mans.

His career then propelled further when he signed a three-year deal with ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the premier league in Germany, in 2019. He debuted in September, posting 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists in a win. After playing 33 matches combined in EuroCup, BBL, and BBL-Pokal, he averaged an impressive stat line of 11.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.

In the 2020 NBA Draft, Hayes was picked seventh overall by the Detroit Pistons, propelling his career onto new heights. Although his debut season bore witness to a hip injury, he managed to post a season-high 11 assists in a game against the Dallas Mavericks. Hayes later went on to break his career-record with 12 assists in a match against the Charlotte Hornets in 2022.

Apart from his professional career, Hayes has a strong presence in international basketball. With his exceptional performances, he has represented France and won several accolades, including the MVP award at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship. His steady scoring average and leadership skills led his team to a gold medal at the same championship.

Despite his talent and potential, Hayes is yet to reach his peak. His game is based on his creative playmaking repertoire and his ability to pass with exceptional vision. Despite this, the lack of right-hand dominance sometimes holds him back. He is more than comfortable operating in a half-court offense, thriving as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. However, he continues to focus on improving his three-point shooting.

Hayes owes much of his success to his father, DeRon Hayes, a successful basketball player in his own right. His father, who played college basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions, is a reputable scorer. Having played professionally in France, Portugal, Sweden, Ukraine and Russia, DeRon’s experiences were instrumental in shaping Hayes’s career. His mother, Sandrine, is also a former basketball player and a native of Cholet, France. Their guidance and support significantly contributed to Hayes’s journey in the realm of basketball.