The most memorable near misses and close calls in sports history

Gordon Hayward announced his retirement from playing basketball on Thursday, ending his NBA career after 14 seasons.

Arguably the most memorable moment of Hayward’s career, though, came before he turned pro. In his second and final season at Butler, Hayward led the Bulldogs to the national title game in a surprise March Madness run.

As the Final Four was held in Butler’s home city, Hayward nearly made what would’ve been one of the most…