At the 6:45 mark of the very first quarter in the opening night game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics, the whole 2017-18 NBA season changed. Although going into the game, all the commotion was between the rivalry between Cleveland and Boston and the apparent feud between Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, it soon quickly changed when NBA superstar Gordon Hayward suffered a left ankle fracture in the first quarter. It was a very unfortunate situation for both Gordon Hayward and the Boston Celtics, who was in his first game of the first quarter of his tenure with Boston.
Gordon signed with the C’s in the offseason, re-joining a coach that was very close to him, Brad Stevens, and hoped to improve his chance of winning an NBA championship.
The gruesome injury, which has been all over social media, was a very ugly sight and had players, coaches, refs and fans on the court turning their heads and covering their eyes. Although Boston and Cleveland are rivals, players from both teams made sure to check on Hayward and let him know they are wishing him well.
LeBron, Wade, Love and Thomas checked up on Hayward
It has been reported that a few of Cleveland’s superstar players went to check up on Gordon Hayward after he was sent to the Cavaliers Locker Room to receive medical attention and receive medical diagnosis on the injury.
While the doctors focused on Hayward’s left ankle and left leg, LeBron James and a few teammates made sure to have a little talk with Gordon, sending their condolences and letting Hayward know that he will return from the injury and be better than ever.
LeBron James just went into Cavs locker room where Gordon Hayward is receiving medical attention
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) October 18, 2017
LeBron James, D-Wade, Kevin Love and Isaiah Thomas all visited the locker room to check up on Gordon Hayward.
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) October 18, 2017
Isaiah Thomas had a slightly closer relationship with Gordon Hayward, as he recruited Gordon to join the Boston Celtics in the 2017 offseason, and was a huge reason the superstar small forward took his talents to Boston.
Although they were never officially teammates due to the trade that went down between the Cavs and Celtics in the offseason, Isaiah still holds a friendship with Hayward. And maybe that's another reason why Isaiah was caught off guard by the trade.
The NBA is one big family
Many players have expressed in the past that while there are a lot of rivalries on the court, the NBA is still one big family.
The NBA family comes together in support of huge events, and to pray for people involved in catastrophic events. They also come together to assist kids and help people in need.
The injury to Gordon Hayward and the reaction from NBA players around the league proves the league players, coaches, and fans are all family at the end of the day. It’s bigger than basketball.
