Haywood was born on September 3, 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia. His family—which included his father Zephryn and older brother Gary—moved from Trinidad and Tobago to the city ofBurnaby in British Columbia in Canada. Gary, who regularly played basketball, would often take his younger sibling with him when he played. At age 7, Joey chose to stick with the sport instead of playing soccer, his father's favorite sport. He said, "In soccer, there's too many people on the field, and you don't get your time to shine." In the area Haywood was brought up, he practiced playing in the same park that future Simon Fraser University star Jordan Mason would practice in. Haywood's ball-handling skills helped him get noticed by former Harlem Globetrotters member Mel Davis, with whom he would begin taking lessons. He eventually joined the Kits Youth Basketball League, a competition for young players from ages 13 to 16. His performance there helped him get chosen to play a role in the film Air Bud.
Haywood attended Magee Secondary School in his hometown of Vancouver, following his friends there. Instantly, he became a star on the school's basketball team and was considered the top player in every grade. At around this time, Haywood tried out for the British Columbia provincial under-16 team and was one of the top 20 players on its roster. However, his style of play made him a less appealing player. In his senior year, Magee failed to make the provincials round, but Haywood managed to score 38 points in a loss to Kitsilano Secondary School, the reigning AAA Provincial Champions, in what is sometimes considered one of his best performances at the high school level.
College career
Following graduation from high school, Haywood was approached by local college basketball programs such as those in Capilano and Langara College, but decided to join the latter school. Upon joining Langara Falcons basketball team, however, he mainly played as the substitute guard and saw limited minutes on the court. He left the Falcons after only one 4-month term. Haywood transferred to Saint Mary's to play with the Huskies in 2008.
Professional career
Standing 6 ft 1 in and weighing 170 lbs, he generally plays the point guard position. Haywood has appeared in multiple NBL Canada Finals throughout his playing career, and is a two-time All-Star in the league. He has been named to the NBL All-Defence team, All-Canada team, and won the Canadian of the Year Award in both 2012 and 2013. Haywood has experience playing overseas, primarily in the Basketligaen in Denmark, where he finished the 2014 season as its leading scorer, an All-Star, and a strong candidate for Most Valuable Player. Joey was drafted by Kevin Durant to play in Nike's 2014 Summer is Serious tournament.
Haywood participated in the Kits Youth Basketball League in Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in his early teenage years. With help from former Harlem Globetrotters member Mel Davis, he managed to land a role in the 1997 familycomedy filmAir Bud, in which he played on main character Josh Framm's team, the Timberwolves. Framm was played by actor Kevin Zegers. In 2006, Haywood appeared in the direct-to-video film , playing a streetball player named Cavity. He would be teased by his teammates with the Halifax Rainmen due to his line, "I'm Cavity. Because I'm so sweet, baby." Later in the year, he acted as a gang member for an action film directed by Jean-Claude Van Damme, The Hard Corps. He originally appeared in one scene, but it was cut from the movie. However, his name remained in the closing credits. Haywood traveled out of Vancouver in 2011 to act in The Saints of Mt. Christopher, in which he played Delroy Links, a sophomore college basketball star that dies during a pivotal game. Rainmen owner Andre Levingston commented on Haywood's acting career, "I think it's fantastic that he's had the opportunity to play in a movie." Joey has previously considered pursuing a career in acting after retiring from basketball.
