Coach quips Kings are ‘not as young anymore’ after Hield reveals true age

A photo surfaced on Twitter that appears to show Buddy Hield dribbling a basketball along the Dallas parade route where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The photo is fake — and hilarious — but it’s true the Kings’ young shooting guard is a little older than everyone thought.

The image was Photoshopped after Hield revealed he turned 26 years old Monday, a year older than he was listed in his NBA player bio since the New Orleans Pelicans drafted him out of Oklahoma in 2016.

The Kings said the discrepancy was the result of a typo that occurred when Oklahoma filed paperwork with the NBA. The Kings said they have Hield’s birthday correctly listed as Dec. 17, 1992, in their internal documents, but the error has been repeated in the media for two-plus seasons since Hield entered the league.

Hield was raised in the Bahamas and spent four years at Oklahoma before the Pelicans selected him with the sixth pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Kings acquired him in March 2017 in the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Hield is averaging career highs of 19.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season. He’s shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range. He ranks fourth among shooting guards in 3-point percentage and sixth in the NBA in 3-point goals.

Hield scored a career-high 37 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, making 7 of 14 from 3-point range. He declined to answer questions before Friday’s game, but coach Dave Joerger addressed the issue of Hield’s age before the Kings played the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It doesn’t affect how many shots he gets up tonight, I don’t think,” Joerger said. “I’m hoping he gets them up and we can guard a little better and rebound a little better. ... We like our group and I think sometimes ... we start getting expectations, and it can be like, ‘Whoa, whoa.’ Sometimes, we all just have to remind ourselves that we’re playing a very young team. Not as young anymore, apparently.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2018 at 7:38 PM.