In the final game of the Utah Jazz’s regular season, former Triton Hayden Gray played the first NBA minutes of his young career. The Jazz guard became the first UC San Diego player to play and score points in the NBA.

The Jazz signed Gray to a two-year deal on Saturday, two days prior to their regular season finale against the Los Angeles Lakers. Gray previously played for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League, where he averaged 9.9 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.

“I’m excited for him to take the floor tonight in what is objectively a very unique situation: to be joining a team on the last day,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said in a pregame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “I think that one thing that has stood out to me watching him is that he’s ultra-competitive. I think tonight, we’re trying to keep his brain as free as possible; there’s no doubt that his head is going to be spinning out there tonight. So, we’re just going to try to let him play off of his instincts.”

Hardy subbed Gray into the game with five minutes left in the second quarter. Gray scored his first NBA bucket three minutes later, draining a mid-range jumper over Lakers forward Rui Hachimura. Gray finished with 6 points, an assist, a steal, and a block in 25 minutes of action. The Jazz lost 131-107.

The debut marked the crowning achievement of a meteoric rise for Gray, who was playing Division-II basketball at Azusa Pacific only three years ago. Gray then transferred to UCSD for his junior season and started all 68 games in his two years as a Triton. In 2025, Gray broke out as a defensive star in his senior season, leading the nation in steals and defensive win shares; that year, the conference named him Big West Defensive Player of the Year. On the offensive side, Gray’s 22-point career performance in the 2025 Big West Championship final against UC Irvine catapulted the Tritons to their first-ever March Madness appearance.