On Nov. 2, NBC’s Today show released an exclusive interview with NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward. This was the first time Gordon has participated in an interview since he went down with a gruesome ankle injury on Oct. 17 when the Boston Celtics squared off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in both team’s season opener.
The five-minute clip discussed the difficulties he’s already dealing with, and also the emotional and physical pain that happened in the moment of the injury.
Hayward recalled being carted off the court, and worrying about the implications this would have on not only his season, but his career.
“I got this wave of emotion, ‘Am I done? Is this my career? Is this over?’ It for sure crossed my mind that this could be it,” he recalled.
The 27-year-old began tearing up when the conversation flowed to his parent’s which were in the stands to witness his accident first hand. Being a parent of two girls named Bernie and Charlie, Gordon was able to relate to the grief that they underwent.
“As a parent, you don’t want your child to go through that, and as a parent myself, I would rather take their pain.”
While the Butler University product understands his own children don’t fully understand the situation, they are always by his side to give him the support and uplifting he requires throughout the day.
.@gordonhayward's cast gets decorated by his daughter 🙏 (via @robynmhayward / Instagram) pic.twitter.com/3QrgUGBJaT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 27, 2017
Since that video, the hard cast has been removed and the next stage of the recovery process will be spent in a boot.
Finally, Gordon vowed to fans that he would not let this obstacle get in the way of anything.
“I’m gonna come back better than ever, and I firmly believe that, but I know it’s gonna be a long and difficult process.”
Apparently, Brad Stevens and the Celtics also don’t have any plans to slow down. The C’s have NBA-best six wins in a row, and will try to continue the streak on Nov. 3 when they visit Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
You can watch the entire interview here: https://www.today.com/news/gordon-hayward-sight-gruesome-ankle-injury-will-be-me-forever-t118318
