Gordon Hayward watched his Boston Celtics' run to the Eastern Conference Finals last summer with a weird combination of pride and exclusion. A gruesome ankle injury just minutes into the 2017-18 opening night robbed him of his much-hyped reunion with Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who had mentored Hayward for two years at Butler, and left him wondering if he could ever take the floor again. As the team surged to a surprising 55-27 record and a two-seed in the playoffs, Hayward was forced to turn his attention to a grueling rehabilitation process, fighting to regain strength and trust his surgically repaired ankle.
After a year away from the game, the former All-Star is trying to make up for lost time with a team that hopes to own the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future. We spoke with Hayward shortly after the season began to hear more about how his appreciation of the game has changed since the injury; how he managed to break a sweat during the first few months of immobility; and the joy he found in being able to eat anything and everything he wanted, if only for a moment.
GQ: What were you thinking and feeling during that first game back?
Gordon Hayward: It was amazing just to be out there. I felt a lot of joy—after what I went through, there were times when I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back on the court. It was awesome to hear the crowd, and to just be with the team again.
What are some of the things you had to readjust to?
This is the first time I've had an injury like this, so I didn't really know what to expect. I do know that it's going to take time for me to feel like the player I was, because right now, I'm definitely overthinking when I'm out there. It's been a year since I've been able to play basketball. There are just little timing things in the game—rhythms that you have, that come naturally when you've been playing awhile. But when you're out, you lose those things. I don't know if I can give you a time, but I definitely think the more I play, as we get further into the season, the better I'll feel.
You always hear about how serious injuries provide lessons to those who suffer them. What did you learn about yourself?
That I have a lot of fight in me, and a lot of perseverance. There are so many little rehab exercises you have to do, and they get pretty boring. To get up and do things like do one more rep than yesterday, or get a couple more inches of dorsiflexion—that stuff is really frustrating, because it takes a while before you see results. I think I just learned that I have to have patience.
Since you were immobile for the first few months, what were some of the things you could do to break a sweat?
Initially, there wasn't much. What I did do was a bunch of grip-strength work—stuff to try to improve the strength in my hands and forearms. I used rice buckets and a baseball bat, and I crumpled up newspapers. I did this while watching games, because I wasn't allowed to stand or put any weight on my ankle. I was just trying to stay active with my hands and arms, because that's all I had.
How did you have to alter what you were eating, since you weren't burning calories at the rate your body was accustomed to?
Right at the beginning, they kind of told me that I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and to eat a lot. My body had gone through such a major trauma, and it was burning a lot of calories while it was healing itself. As that process started to fade away, though, we started to watch what I was eating again. I would go to Chipotle and get, like, two soft tacos with chicken and pico, and that was it. That was tough for me, because when anyone in the world goes to Chipotle, they're getting a nice big burrito, and maybe some chips and guacamole. That was the hard part.
What did "eating whatever you want" entail, exactly??
Oh, I was eating full boxes of a dozen doughnuts, cake, cookies—I was going to town. They were just like, "Live this part up, because you won't be able to do it soon." I was for sure eating everything I could.
Watch:Ray Allen's Obsession with GreatnessNow that you're back to your usual game-day preparation, what does your routine consist of?
If we have shootaround in the morning, I'll wake up and have green tea with a little bit of honey. I'll do scrambled eggs with some bell peppers, cheese, and a little bit of bacon. I'll also have oatmeal with blueberries.
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For lunch, I just eat what's available at the practice facility—they like to mix it up. Usually, I take a nap on gamedays. I've done that since I've been in the league. When I get up, I eat something else. My wife usually cooks that for me, and it's usually chicken and rice. Then it's off to the facility and then to the arena.
Are you one of those players who gets hungry during the game and has to grab a bite?
I've never gotten hungry to the point where I would have, like, a steak at halftime. [laughs] But I do like to have drinks, like an energy drink before the game. I'll take a swig of that at halftime, too.
Do you look at basketball any differently after recovering from such a major injury?
There has definitely been a renewal of my passion for the game—practices, lacing up the shoes, putting on the uniform, even the drills I hated doing—all that means so much more to me now. The little things you take for granted, I understand how quickly they can be taken away. I make sure to enjoy every moment I have out there.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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