Buddy Hield has blossomed into one of the top young players that the NBA has to offer.
However, Hield may be a tad older than many may have originally thought. In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, the Sacramento Kings guard revealed that he recently turned 26 years old, despite the team previously having his birthday listed as Dec. 17, 1993 -- which would make him 25.
"That's their fault, not my fault," Hield said when asked why so many places have him listed as 25. "The first time I saw it on Wikipedia, my mom said, 'Why do they have your age wrong?' I said, 'I have no idea.' "
Hield was actually born on Dec. 17, 1992 in Freeport on the island of Grand Bahama. The sharpshooting guard believes that his birth date was correct when he attended the University of Oklahoma, but it got mixed up at some point along the way.
He pointed out that he was turning 26 years old to the team's broadcast team of Doug Christie and Grant Napear during Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Sacramento's 132-105 loss to Minnesota, Hield finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting while also knocking down five of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
"I came over with a passport," Hield said. "My passport has 1992 on it. My driver's license has 1992 on it. I just think people got their information from Wikipedia or wherever, and they just went with it. They just got it wrong. ... I gave them [the Kings] my passport, Peja [Stojakovic] and Vlade [Divac] know what age I am. That's the only thing that matters."
It certainly is a peculiar situation, and one that is rare in any sport. Hield is currently in his third NBA season after being selected with the sixth overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans. He came over in the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans back in 2017.
"It might look good for me on my side for me looking younger, but it doesn't matter," Hield said. "I'm still going to be me out there on the court. I'm still going to be in shape, no matter what."
