Buddy Hield has emerged as a breakout star for the Sacramento Kings in his third season, playing with a fearlessness and confidence that seems beyond his years.
Or maybe not.
The Kings guard says he turned 26 on Monday, even though he's listed as 25 in the Kings' media guide and on the NBA's official website.
Hield doesn't know where the bad info got started, but he says it didn't come from him.
"That's their fault, not my fault," Hield told NBC Bay Area on Thursday. "The first time I saw it on Wikipedia, my mom said, 'Why do they have your age wrong?' I said, 'I have no idea.'"
Hield, who was born in Freeport in the Bahamas, came to the United States in 2010 with his passport, which lists his correct date of birth.
"My passport has 1992 on it. My driver's license has 1992 on it," Hield said. "I just think people got their information from Wikipedia or wherever, and they just went with it. They just got it wrong."
Hield said when he was a college star at Oklahoma, the Sooners had his correct info. He said he thought the mistake began when someone input his information into the NBA's database.
He wasn't trying to pull anything over on the Kings, though. He gave them his passport, so Kings general manager Vlade Divac and director of player personnel Peja Stojakovic know his correct age.
"That's the only thing that matters," he said.
Hield leads the Kings with a 19.9 scoring average, shooting 48 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range. He's averaging 31 minutes and career highs in rebounds (5.0) and assists (2.5).
