Warning: the video below is extremely graphic.
Gordon Hayward badly injured leg pic.twitter.com/1SRzjZYu1i
— 790 The Ticket (@790TheTicket) October 18, 2017
The response was horror. On the NBA’s marquee night, sports Twitter devolved into a collective recoil. NBA stars like Paul George and DeMar DeRozan voiced their support, while Cavaliers stars LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas went back and visited Hayward in the locker room during the stoppage.
God bless you bro @gordonhayward ! help him thru this god!
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) October 18, 2017
No.
Not okay. Not on opening night.
No.— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 18, 2017
Look at his leg. What a damn shame.#Prayers&BlessingsToHim
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 18, 2017
Sports personalities, from ESPN’s Michael Wilbon and Rachel Nichols to Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst, expressed dismay for Hayward, the Celtics, and the NBA at large.
Hayward will have surgery Wednesday to repair the break and secure his ankle. If the break is clean, he may have a chance at returning to basketball, but if the damage is extensive, his career could be in jeopardy. Players like Paul George and Shaun Livingston have returned from gruesome breaks to resume illustrious basketball careers, while others, like Louisville’s Kevin Ware, have seen their lives take impossible turns, opportunities evaporating in an instant.
Coming Back From a Lower Body Injury:
Last night, the triumphant return of basketball and a showcase for some of the planet’s most famous and impressive athletes became a rated-R nightmare. Even if you don’t follow the sport, you know who Gordon Hayward is now. You know what his face looks like when he’s in agony, and you know what his body sounds like when it inexplicably fails him. You don’t forget this stuff. We certainly won’t.