Seemingly everyone in the basketball world reached out to Gordon Hayward when he sustained a potentially career-altering injury a little over two years ago.
Kobe Bryant was included in that collection, but his message for the Celtics star went well beyond a “get well soon.”
Bryant, who tragically passed away Sunday morning, took to Instagram shortly after Hayward gruesomely dislocated his ankle and fractured his tibia mere minutes into his regular-season debut with Boston. Not only did the Lakers legend offer words of encouragement, he also issued rehab advice and posed a silver lining to Hayward during what undoubtedly was a difficult time.
You can check out the post below, which was resurfaced by Boston.com on the night of Bryant’s death.
What Kobe Bryant wrote after Gordon Hayward suffered his gruesome ankle injury in 2017: pic.twitter.com/svIafkMKog
— Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) January 27, 2020
Bryant’s message shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as he was one of the most tenacious and hardest-working players the league has ever seen. These, as well as his myriad other patented attributes, certainly never will be forgotten by the basketball community and the sports world as a whole.
