Killian Hayes
Killian Hayes (born 27 July 2001) is a French professional basketball player for ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). Standing , he plays the point guard and shooting guard positions. He is widely considered one of the best international prospects in the 2020 NBA draft.

The son of an American basketball player, Hayes was born in Lakeland, Florida but grew up in France due to his father's professional career. From a young age, Hayes played with French club Cholet and debuted for the senior team at age 16, before receiving regular playing time in the following season. In 2019, he signed with German team ratiopharm Ulm.

Hayes won the gold medal and earned most valuable player (MVP) honors with France at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship. He led his team to a silver medal at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

Early life and career 
Hayes was born in Lakeland, Florida in the United States, in the same hospital as his father, DeRon Hayes, who was playing basketball in the American Basketball Association (ABA) at the time. One year later, Hayes began living in Cholet, France after his father continued his career in the LNB Pro A, the country's top league. He played basketball from an early age, facing older opponents and often playing pick-up games in Lakeland and Orlando, Florida in the summer. Hayes watched highlights on YouTube to learn new moves. He grew up playing for Cholet Basket, his father's former club, at the youth level. Although he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States, he remained in France upon his father's advice. 

In 2016, Hayes turned down an opportunity to join INSEP, a prestigious sports institute in Paris, upon his parents' guidance. He began playing for Cholet in LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league, in the 2016–17 season. In April 2017, he posted 13 points, seven assists and five steals, sharing most valuable player (MVP) honors with Addison Patterson, at the Jordan Brand Classic International Game. In 2017–18, Hayes averaged 16.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for Espoirs Cholet.

Professional career

Cholet (2017–2019)

Hayes made his debut with the Cholet senior team on 21 October 2017 at 16 years, two months and 24 days of age, playing two minutes in a loss to Nanterre 92 in the LNB Pro A, the top French league. In his season finale, he recorded 12 points and six assists in a win over Le Mans. Entering the 2018–19 season, Hayes signed a three-year professional contract with Cholet after considering various other European clubs. On 22 September 2018, after missing three weeks with back and toe injuries, Hayes scored 12 points in a loss to Strasbourg in his first appearance of the season. On 30 May 2019, he tallied a season-high 17 points, five rebounds and five steals in a loss to Élan Chalon. In 34 games, Hayes averaged 7.1 points and 3.1 assists per game, leading his team to an 11–23 record.

ratiopharm Ulm (2019–present)
On 2 August 2019, Hayes signed a three-year contract with ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the top league in Germany, and the EuroCup. He debuted on 24 September, posting 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and eight turnovers in a win over Rasta Vechta. Hayes played his first EuroCup game on 2 October, chipping in eight points, nine assists and three steals in a loss to Virtus Bologna. On 3 November, he recorded his first career double-double, with 11 points, 11 assists and eight turnovers in a loss to Alba Berlin. Two weeks later, Hayes scored a career-high 24 points, along with five assists and three steals, in an 81–78 victory over Brose Bamberg. On 20 November, he tallied 12 points and 11 assists in a loss to Promitheas Patras, becoming the second-youngest player to post a double-double in the EuroCup, the youngest being Ricky Rubio. Hayes established a new career high in scoring on 18 December with 25 points, five three-pointers and five assists in a 96–92 defeat to Maccabi Rishon LeZion. He recorded 20 points, 10 assists and four rebounds on 11 February in a 112–106 overtime loss to Alba Berlin.

National team career 
Representing France, Hayes was named most valuable player (MVP) of the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship in Podgorica, Montenegro. He averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and led his team to a gold medal. At the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina, Hayes won a silver medal and was named to the All-Star Five after averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game. In July 2019, he received a six-game suspension by the French Federation of Basketball for not playing in the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Player profile 
Hayes is left-handed and can play both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Scouts have praised his passing ability. Hayes has compared his style of play to that of James Harden, a former NBA Most Valuable Player.

Personal life
Hayes is the son of a French mother, Sandrine, and American father, DeRon Hayes, who was a college basketball standout for Penn State and played professionally in France, Portugal, Sweden, Ukraine and Russia. French basketball player Nando de Colo is a friend of the Hayes family.