Jackson Hayes was ready for disaster on a wild Eastbay dunk against the Bulls
On Monday night, The Los Angeles Lakers continued their winning ways with a comfortable road win over the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City. Luka Dončić excelled in this game, scoring 46 points, including a barrage of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, to lead Los Angeles to victory.
The highlight of the game happened in the second half when the Lakers were the big man Jackson Hayes had a fast break opportunity, and instead of dunking the ball in the normal way, he drilled it through his legs while in the air, electrifying the crowd at the United Centre.
After the game, Hayes became 100% real at the fear that ran through his mind as he prepared for a cheeky dunk.
“I thought I was going to hang so bad on the rim, and I thought I was going to be kicked out of the game right away… Luckily, God was on my side,” Hayes said, per Spectrum SportsNet on X, formerly Twitter.
Hayes has long been known as an elite athlete who can get off the floor especially well for center. However, he struggled at times to stay in JJ Redick’s rotation due to his questionable defensive tendencies as well as his lack of touch around the rim on offense.
This, combined with the recent solid play of Lakers backup big man Drew Timme, has led some to wonder if Hayes’ spot in the Lakers’ rotation could be in jeopardy moving forward. He played off the floor at times during their playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves a year ago.
However, Hayes certainly made the most of his minutes on Monday night, producing arguably the highlight of the season for the Lakers.
Los Angeles will take the floor next Wednesday night on the road against LeBron James’ former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2026-01-27 16:12:00
