Buddy Hield celebrated his 26th birthday Monday in Minnesota as the Sacramento Kings lost to the Timberwolves. Prior to the game, Hield told the Kings’ broadcast team his true age, which was a surprise to many, according to James Ham of NBC Sports.
Before news broke out on Hield’s age, every media website, including the NBA’s, had his birthday listed incorrectly. On every site, the guard’s birthday was listed as Dec. 17, 1993, making Hield 25. When asked whose fault it was, Hield said, ‘That’s their fault, not my fault,’ according to Ham.
After the Kings’ loss on Wednesday to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hield explained the blunder:
“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.”
Hield was born on the coastal region of Freeport, the West Grand Bahama district of the Bahamas. After his time in the Bahamas, Hield was recruited to attend Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas where he came to the U.S. to play basketball.
When asked if the Kings had his correct birthdate, Hield said:
“I gave them [the Kings] my passport, Peja [Stojakovic] and Vlade [Divac] know what age I am,” Hield said. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
This year, at age 26, Hield is having the best season of his career to start his second full season with the Kings after being a part of the DeMarcus Cousins trade in 2017. He is averaging 19.9 points and 2.5 assists per game shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three.
