The NBA season got off to a flying start with the Cavaliers securing a three-point win over the Celtics earlier this evening in a 102-99 win.
But the biggest news from the match came in the first quarter when just six minutes into his debut, Gordon Hayward went down with a horrific injury.
The small forward went up for an alley-oop pass and collided with James on his way down.
And he fell awkwardly on his left ankle with it immediately apparent something wasn’t right.
After receiving treatment from medical staff on the floor, he was stretchered off into the changing rooms where he was given more treatment and it was confirmed he had fractured his left ankle.
Both sets of players were visibly affected by the injury to Hayward with the Celtics seemingly more so as they went down by 18 points at one point before battling back in the fourth.
Cleveland managed to hold out for the win but James took time to offer his best wishes to Hayward for a speedy recovery.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to Gordon,” James said.
“It’s a pretty gruesome injury and I hope for a speedy and healthy recovery for Gordon.”
And on opening the season with a competitive win, James praised his side’s resillience to hold off the Celtics’ fight-back.
“For us we were very resilient. Being up 16 and as much as 18 in the third quarter they cut it down,” James added.
“Derrick Rose’s shot at the end of the third was a big shot for us.
“We found a way to win and that’s what good teams do but we’re just okay as a team.”
