As is typical in our family, my spouse and I sat down the other evening to catch the day’s sporting events — bouncing between baseball’s league championship series and the start of the professional basketball season. Truth told, pro basketball doesn’t always keep my attention; it sometimes seems like defense is only played the last ten minutes of the game. But in solely the first six minutes of the season, our eyes were glued to the television. I wish they had not been so glued.
The Celtics were playing the Cavaliers in Cleveland, and not halfway through the first quarter, star free agent pickup, Boston’s Gordon Hayward, went up for a routine alley-oop — a play he’s probably made hundreds of times — and in one of the most grisly injuries to watch unfold, Hayward landed awkwardly, his ankle contorted underneath him, fracturing both his ankle and left tibia.
Happening in front of the opposing team, the Cavaliers’ bench responded in immediate, unprecedented queasiness, scrambling to look away. It was grisly and gruesome indeed… an injury that should be wished upon no one.
Note the immediate wishes from all over the sports spectrum…
For @gordonhayward. Come back stronger!
— from Steph Curry
God bless you bro @gordonhayward ! help him thru this god!
— from Paul George
Never like to see that. Best wishes to @gordonhayward
— from soccer’s Jody Altidore
Praying for my guy @gordonhayward!!! NEVER want to see any of the guys go through anything like that.
— from DeAndre Jordan
NBA | Heartbreak for #GordonHayward but beautiful to see the NBA Community come together for him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you
— from award-winning broadcaster Benny Bonsu
Lord , Carry Him Now @gordonhayward
— from Dwight Howard
No no no no no no………. praying everything is okay…
— from Jared Sullinger
Gordon and Robyn, our thoughts are with you and your family. All of Jazz Nation sending best wishes for a speedy recovery.
— from the Utah Jazz, Hayward’s former team
Never want to see that man!#thoughtsandprayers
— from Zach LaVine
@gordonhayward. Only God has ALL the answers.
— from Shaun Livingston
@gordonhayward prayin for u my brother.
— from Odell Beckham, Jr.
Prayers to @gordonhayward @celtics hope people will understand better that NOTHINGS guaranteed in the game we love
— from Bruce Bowen
Wow… that’s horrific… feel awful for Hayward
— from Jeremy Lin
Can’t even put into words.
Gordon Hayward.
Feeling for you man.
Absolutely gut wrenching.
— from JJ Watt
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gordon Hayward. #BiggerThanBasketball
— from the Cleveland Cavaliers
Absolutely gut wrenching. Never like to see that. Feel awful…
Injury should be wished upon no one. I hope we get that. I pray, too, we can always be graceful, wishing another well, even in opposition, realizing something is always “bigger” — in far more than basketball. I thus also pray our emotion and opposition wouldn’t keep us from extending the wisdom and warmth embedded within such beautiful (and beautifully contagious) grace.
Respectfully…
AR