UCSD - University of California - San Diego

05/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/19/2026 09:20

Meet the First Triton to Reach the NBA

Published Date

May 19, 2026

Article Content

Less than a year after earning his degree from UC San Diego in 2025, Hayden Gray became the first Triton to ever play in the NBA. Gray made his debut for the Utah Jazz last month in Los Angeles against the Lakers. He recently joined the Tritoncast podcast from LionTree Arena to talk about what it was like to play against future Hall of Famer LeBron James; spending the past winter playing professionally for the Maine Celtics in the NBA's developmental G-League; favorite memories from a championship season in La Jolla and more. Here are some excerpts from that conversation:

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Tell us what it was like when you found out that you were going to be signing with Utah and potentially playing in an NBA game.

When I got the call from my agent, I was pretty surprised because my G-League season was over. I thought my rookie season had come to a close. It really wasn't on my radar that that was even a possibility. When I first heard the news, I had fun telling my mom and calling my brother and my girlfriend - those are the people who were super excited and I was most excited to tell.

Can you describe what it was like when you walked out onto that arena floor for the first time as an NBA player?

It was a very surreal feeling and made me think about my whole journey as a basketball player. Growing up as a young kid, I had dreamed of a day like that. And then as I got older, through high school, I didn't have any Division I offers. No one had ever gone to the NBA from UC San Diego. It wasn't really something that I was envisioning for myself, I thought I wanted to play pro, but I didn't see the NBA in the cards for me. For that moment to happen, the way it did, it was a very surreal feeling. It was awesome to have family and friends there. For the game to be in LA, it was perfect because I have a lot of Southern California ties and a lot of people were able to make the game, so it was super special.

When they called your name to go check in, how fast was your heart racing?

I think getting to watch the first quarter, not getting thrown into the fire right away was helpful, just kind of being able to see it up close, pick up on certain things. Once the coach told me to get in, I was ready to go play. I was starting to get anxious. I can't just keep sitting here watching this, I need to get out there and play. When he did call my number, I definitely had some nerves. I mean, I think anyone would have some nerves in that situation. So, I just tried to trust my instincts. Once that first shot went in, the nerves kind of settled.

How do you process seeing future Hall of Famer LeBron James on the court opposite you?

I don't even know. It was crazy, LeBron James. On the same court as me. In an NBA game. I didn't even fully process it until after the game. All my friends are sending me pictures of LeBron guarding me, but to play against him, share the court with him, you're able to see how special of a player, he is. He's 41 and he was controlling the whole game out there and still moving great. It was definitely a really special moment for me to share the court with the person who - in my opinion -is the greatest player to ever play basketball. I'm very grateful for that.

Looking at the season you had with the Maine Celtics in the NBA G-League, what was that experience like traveling across the country and playing pro ball here in the United States?

That was a great experience. I felt like I was able to grow a lot as a player. They did a really good job of player development. It allows you to build confidence and get more comfortable. It was a really important year for me to kind of find who I am, first year out of college, first year playing professional. It was a very valuable year and I enjoyed my time in Maine, even though I'm a Southern California kid - it's a lot colder than it is in San Diego!

Were you able to follow UC San Diego concurrently, maybe while you were on a bus or in a hotel?

I watched them, definitely followed them. I have a group chat that we keep active, and we talk about UC San Diego a good amount.

Gray and the Tritons take on Michigan in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Erik Jepsen, UC San Diego)

Let's talk about your memories as a Triton, specifically the 2025 season. Thirty wins, an NCAA tournament appearance, Big West regular season and tournament champions in the first year the program was eligible to compete in the Division I postseason…what made that team so special?

Everyone liked each other, we had fun with each other, had good relationships. I think we had the seniors who had played together the year prior. We kind of came in that summer, and said "OK, this is our last year, this is our only year eligible, let's get the most out of this thing." We really attacked the summer with an intensity that probably not everyone did in our conference. We started out 2-2 and had a tough game against Seattle at home, and then we got rolling and we started to realize we were pretty good and when we're playing at our best, no one can really mess with us. Niwa [forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones] is incredible - he was [Big West] Player of the Year, and you got Ty [Tyler McGhie] who's one of the best shooters in the country. We had a really good team, Coach Eric Olen was a perfect coach for all of us. He let us be ourselves. He gave us the freedom to make decisions out on the court, and did a good job of putting us in spots to make those decisions and building us up with confidence to make the right decision. It was a combination of things such as us liking each other, us having that year together the year prior. I think everyone was competitive and then once we started to realize how good we were, we didn't want to lose at all.

What was it like cutting down the nets in Henderson as Big West Tournament champs, knowing that then meant you were about to go play in March Madness?

Crazy! I remember thinking, "we're going to March Madness!" That's the pinnacle of basketball, for me growing up. Always was a March Madness junkie, filling out brackets with my dad and my brother. I went to a Division II college out of high school, so I wasn't planning this. I didn't anticipate it. To get there was super special, and that experience was great.

To hear the full conversation with Hayden Gray, check out the Tritoncast podcaston the Athletics website or search 'Tritoncast' wherever you listen to podcasts.

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