.jpg) Hayes-Davis withFenerbahçe Beko in 2025 | |
| No. 21 – Phoenix Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1994-12-16)December 16, 1994 (age 30) Westerville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) |
| College | Wisconsin (2013–2017) |
| NBA draft | 2017:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2017–present |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2018 | Westchester Knicks |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2018 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2018 | →Raptors 905 |
| 2018 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2018–2019 | Galatasaray |
| 2019–2021 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 2021–2022 | FC Barcelona |
| 2022–2025 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2025–present | Phoenix Suns |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Nigel Hayes-Davis (néHayes; born December 16, 1994) is an American professionalbasketball player for thePhoenix Suns of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He attendedWhitmer High School inToledo, Ohio and playedcollege basketball for theWisconsin Badgers.
A two-timeAll-EuroLeague First Team selection, Hayes-Davis holds therecord for most points scored in a EuroLeague game, having scored 50 points againstAlba Berlin in the 2023–24 season. He won the EuroLeague championship in 2025 with Fenerbahçe, earning theFinal Four MVP award in the process.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigel Hayes PF | Toledo, OH | Whitmer | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Nov 11, 2012 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:  | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
In his junior season, Hayes was named to the first team All-Big Ten after leading the Badgers in scoring (15.7 points per game), assists (3.0) and free-throw attempts (258) and finished second in rebounds (5.8 per game).[1]
Coming into his senior season, Hayes was named Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.[1] He averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game during his senior year at Wisconsin.[2]
Hayes graduated in May 2017 with a degree in business finance and investment banking. He was noted for being an outspoken athlete and a leader on issues such as racial justice and compensation of NCAA athletes.[3]
After going undrafted in the2017 NBA draft, he joined theNew York Knicks for the 2017NBA Summer League. On August 19, he signed a partially guaranteed deal with the team. On October 14, 2017, he was waived by New York.[4] He was later assigned to theWestchester Knicks affiliate squad for theNBA G League for the majority of the season.
On January 19, 2018, Hayes signed a 10-day contract with theLos Angeles Lakers.[5] He made his NBA debut two days later in a 127–107 win over theNew York Knicks, playing a single minute that night. The Lakers would not give Hayes a second 10-day contract after his first one expired, and subsequently theWestchester Knicks re-acquired Hayes on January 30.[6]
On March 6, 2018, theToronto Raptors signed Hayes to a 10-day contract.[7] On March 12, 2018, Hayes made his debut for the Toronto Raptors scoring 6 points on two 3-point field goals in 5 minutes played in a 132–106 win against the New York Knicks. On March 14, 2018, the Raptors re-signed Hayes to an additional 10-day contract.[8] While on his second ten-day contract, Hayes was assigned to theRaptors 905, Toronto's G League franchise.[9] Hayes did not receive a rest-of-season offer from the Raptors and returned to the Westchester Knicks.[10]
On March 31, 2018, theSacramento Kings announced that they had signed Hayes for the rest of 2017–18 season.[11] On July 7, 2018, he was waived by the Kings.[12]
On August 29, 2018, Hayes signed withGalatasaray of the TurkishBasketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[13][14] Hayes averaged 12.6 points per game, 2.0 assists per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. Hayes averaged 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the EuroCup.[15]
On June 12, 2019, Hayes signed withŽalgiris Kaunas of theLithuanian Basketball League.[16] He re-signed with the team on July 17, 2020.[17]
In his first season inEuroLeague Basketball, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists with 6.6 pir in 28 games (10 as starter) and in his second season with the team, he averaged 9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists eith 9.8 pir in 33 games (30 as starter).
_by_Sandro_Halank%25E2%2580%2593030.jpg)
After his successful2020–21 EuroLeague season withŽalgiris Kaunas, on August 22, 2021, Hayes signed withFC Barcelona of the SpanishLiga ACB and reunite with his former coachŠarūnas Jasikevičius.[18] He recorded 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds with 4.0 pir in 37 games, helped the team to join2022 EuroLeague Final Four.
On July 22, 2022, Hayes-Davis signed a one-year deal with Turkish powerhouseFenerbahçe.[19] On April 7, 2023, Hayes-Davis renewed his contract with the Turkish club for three (2+1) more seasons.
On 14 December 2023,Šarūnas Jasikevičius was announced asFenerbahçe head coach, he reunite third time with his former coach.[20]
On March 29, 2024, Hayes-Davis broke theEuroleague record for most scored in a game by a single player, scoring 50 points in a 103–68 win againstAlba Berlin.[21] He broke the previous record of 49 points set byShane Larkin in 2019.[21] He averaged 13.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists with 15.6 pir in 37 games in his second season with the team, 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists with 12.6 pir inplay-offs againstMonaco, helped the team after 4 seasons to join2024 EuroLeague Final Four.
On December 7, 2024, he made 33 points and 4 rebounds with 30 pir againstReal Madrid, then earnMVP honors in Round 14 of the2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.[22] He averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists with 18.3 pir in 39 regular season games, 16.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists with 21.7 pir inplay-offs againstParis Basketball, helped the team to join2025 EuroLeague Final Four.
On May 25, 2025, Hayes-Davis led Fenerbahçe to their second EuroLeague championship inAbu Dhabi. He helped the team defeat the defending championsPanathinaikos in thesemi-final,[23] andMonaco in thefinal.[24] In the final, he posted game-highs of 23 points and 9 rebounds, and subsequently he was named theEuroLeague Final Four MVP, the second Fenerbahçe player to win the award afterEkpe Udoh in 2017.[25]
On July 25, 2025, Hayes-Davis signed with thePhoenix Suns on a one-year contract.[26]
Hayes-Davis, who was on the "Select Team" that theUSA National Team called to prepare theOlympic squad for the tournament, attended the2024 USA Olympic camp with stars such asLeBron James,Kevin Durant andStephen Curry.[27]
In 2021, Hayes changed his surname to Hayes-Davis in honor of his stepfather.[28]
Hayes-Davis has a very well-known cat in the basketball community, and the name of this cat is Sly, which Hayes-Davis sees as his grey shadow.[29]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | L.A. Lakers | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | — | 1.0 | — | — | 1.5 |
| Toronto | 2 | 0 | 3.3 | 1.000 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | 3.0 | |
| Sacramento | 5 | 0 | 21.0 | .333 | .167 | .000 | 4.4 | .8 | .4 | .6 | 3.6 | |
| Career | 9 | 0 | 13.6 | .333 | .250 | .333 | 2.4 | .7 | .2 | .3 | 3.0 | |
| * | Led the league |
| † | Won the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Žalgiris | 28* | 10 | 22.3 | .404 | .372 | .758 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
| 2020–21 | 33 | 30 | 26.7 | .443 | .443 | .894 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .2 | 9.5 | 9.8 | |
| 2021–22 | Barcelona | 37 | 16 | 18.9 | .367 | .244 | .800 | 2.1 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| 2022–23 | Fenerbahçe | 39 | 39 | 30.5 | .568 | .405 | .750 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .3 | 10.5 | 13.4 |
| 2023–24 | 37 | 36 | 31.5 | .562 | .372 | .832 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .2 | 13.8 | 15.6 | |
| 2024–25† | 39 | 39 | 31.2 | .498 | .410 | .908 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .4 | 16.7 | 18.3 | |
| Career | 213 | 170 | 27.1 | .504 | .392 | .836 | 4.0 | 1.3 | .9 | .3 | 10.4 | 11.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Galatasaray | 10 | 8 | 29.2 | .518 | .432 | .917 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .1 | 15.7 | 17.8 |
| Career | 10 | 8 | 29.2 | .518 | .432 | .917 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .1 | 15.7 | 17.8 | |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Hayes-Davis won the domestic league |
| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 |  Westchester Knicks | G League | 38 | 35.6 | .451 | .454 | .744 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .2 | 16.1 |
| 2017–18 | Raptors 905 | G League | 5 | 22.4 | .342 | .286 | .250 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | — | 7.0 |
| 2018–19 |  Galatasaray | TBSL | 34 | 30.1 | .459 | .374 | .738 | 5.2 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 12.3 |
| 2019–20† |  Žalgiris | LKL | 24 | 19.5 | .434 | .350 | .767 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .1 | 7.1 |
| 2020–21† | Žalgiris | LKL | 38 | 20.4 | .525 | .442 | .704 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 9.9 |
| 2021–22 |  Barcelona | ACB | 40 | 20.3 | .464 | .361 | .667 | 2.8 | .6 | 1.0 | .2 | 5.8 |
| 2022–23 | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 32 | 28.2 | .519 | .458 | .779 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .2 | 12.2 |
| 2023–24† | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 26 | 26.9 | .525 | .408 | .835 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .3 | 14.3 |
| 2024–25† | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 36 | 25.2 | .464 | .326 | .846 | 4.4 | 2.0 | .9 | .3 | 13.1 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Wisconsin | 38 | 0 | 17.4 | .510 | — | .585 | 2.8 | .9 | .8 | .5 | 7.7 |
| 2014–15 | Wisconsin | 40 | 40 | 32.9 | .497 | .396 | .744 | 6.2 | 2.0 | .9 | .4 | 12.4 |
| 2015–16 | Wisconsin | 35 | 35 | 36.2 | .368 | .293 | .736 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 1.1 | .4 | 15.7 |
| 2016–17 | Wisconsin | 37 | 37 | 32.4 | .457 | .314 | .587 | 6.6 | 2.7 | .8 | .4 | 14.0 |
| Career | 150 | 112 | 29.6 | .446 | .332 | .666 | 5.3 | 2.1 | .9 | .4 | 12.4 | |
