Gordon Hayward’s gruesome leg injury in the first quarter of the Boston Celtics’ season-opening loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night seemed to rattle everyone on the court.
Teammates. Opponents. It didn’t matter.
Hayward’s leg bent in a way that legs shouldn’t bend, and it didn’t take long for a deafening hush to engulf Quicken Loans Arena. Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving and Cavaliers forward LeBron James — former teammates-turned-rivals — immediately thought back to the broken leg Paul George suffered while playing in a Team USA scrimmage back in 2014.
“It’s tough. I’ve seen a few injuries in my career and I’ve had a few,” Irving said after Tuesday’s game, per ESPN.com. “Probably two of the worst ones I’ve been in the game watching — one was (George) at USA and this one (Tuesday night).
“It’s not a great sight to see, but you gotta pick yourself up. Just keep on fighting, man. We understand that (Hayward), God willing, will be fine, and we’re going to continue to pray for him and be there for him as best we can.”
It’s unclear how long Hayward will be sidelined, but it’s a crushing blow. Hayward, who signed a four-year, $128 million contract over the offseason, was expected to play a huge role for the Celtics, who had NBA Finals aspirations after a busy offseason in which they also traded for Irving. Now, he’s on a long road to recovery, seeking to overcome one of the grossest injuries you’ll see.
“I’ve seen a couple of injuries like that in my lifetime,” James said, per ESPN.com. “I’ve seen Paul George when it happened to Paul. I was watching the game with Shaun Livingston when it happened when he was with the Clippers. I was watching NCAA basketball when Kevin Ware was at Louisville. Those are the injuries that you never seen coming and you never want to happen, no matter who it is, no matter what the stature, no matter how much competitive nature that you have. It’s just very unfortunate.”
George returned to his usual All-Star form following his unfortunate injury. Let’s hope Hayward enjoys a similar comeback story.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
