The Boston Celtics supposed to be one of the most exciting teams to watch this NBA season, having added two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be this season, at least not for Hayward. He broke his ankle in the opening game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and probably won’t step on the NBA court this season. After a successful surgery, Hayward decided to describe the moment of the injury, the process of recovery and how he looks forward in a Facebook post titled “IN AN INSTANT”.
“I just remember sitting there, looking at my foot the wrong way, and it felt like an eternity.” – Hayward writes. “Dr. Rosneck, the Cavaliers doctor, braced me as he explained that they wanted to try and pop my ankle back into place. I held on, and the moment they did it, there was just a massive shot of pain, probably the most pain I’ve ever felt in my life.“
Hayward went on to describe how he was visited in the locker room after the injury by Isaiah Thomas, who had massive credit for getting Hayward to Boston. He also discovered that Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens was one of the people who carried him onto the plane.
In the post, Hayward reveals that there were certain concerns about his surgery, but at the end, it went better than expected. He used the opportunity to thank everyone who expressed their support and said he is now fully focused on getting back and finally playing in front of the home crowd.
“I keep imagining what it’s going to be like to step onto the floor at the Garden and make my regular season debut as a Celtic. It’s going to be a little delayed. But with each day of my rehab, I’ll be that much closer to making it happen. I’m already dreaming about sharing that moment with everyone here in Boston—a city that I’m still getting to know, but that I’ve connected with through all of this in ways beyond anything I could have imagined. Now, it’s all about getting back. Time to begin.“
