Gordon Hayward fractured his ankle less than six minutes into his debut with Celtics in the NBA’s season opener against the Cavs. It was horrific, and all too familiar to basketball fans who watched Kevin Ware break his leg at Louisville and Paul George do the same for Team USA.
Dwyane Wade’s reaction to Gordon Hayward’s injury says everything about how bad it was
Dang, this sucks.
It was devastating.
It was nauseating.
It was unfair.
I hate it, and I won’t put a video of the injury in this blog.
One image that captured the emotion of it all will suffice:
There’s nowhere to hide on a basketball court. Sitting on my couch, I could stick my face in a pillow and pretend nothing happened. But for players on the court, the camera doesn’t quit rolling once something devastating like Hayward’s injury happens.
For Dwyane Wade, dropping to one knee and clutching his sinuses was his form of shoving his face into a pillow. Anyone can relate.
This injury could happen to any player on the court, and there’s no reason why this time it was Hayward. Wade knows that. And watching a colleague suffer an athlete’s worst career nightmare just feet away was terrifying.
The Cavs’ bench flinched and turned away instantly, and the Celtics players huddled around the bench in an emotional state of shock, frozen. Rookie Jayson Tatum wrapped his arms around Kyrie Irving. It was just his first professional game.
This was a depressing opener to the NBA season, and that picture of Wade will stick in the back of my mind until Hayward steps on the floor again.
That’s the saving grace of this all, and what makes it bearable: There will be an again for Hayward. Just ask Paul George.
Gordon Hayward’s injury met by outpouring of support
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