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Tim BontempsESPN
Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward says he will leave the NBA’s Disney World bubble for the birth of his fourth child if the Celtics continue to play.
“There will be a time when we are there and she is going to have the baby, I am sure I am going to be with her,” Hayward said of his wife, Robyn. “We will have to cross that bridge when we get there.”
Robyn Hayward expires in September, meaning that, with the Eastern Conference Semifinals scheduled to begin no later than August 30, and the Eastern Conference Finals scheduled to begin no later than September 15, Hayward would have to spend at least several days. during the playoffs away from his teammates.
But Hayward said the decision to be with his wife for the birth of their child was not an uncomplicated one.
“It’s a pretty easy decision for me about that,” said Hayward. “I have been at the birth of each of my children and I think there are more important things in life. So we will cross that bridge when we get there.”
“I know the NBA has a protocol for that sort of thing and I hope I can quarantine and test the appropriate amount of time and then get back to the boys.”
Hayward is right, as the NBA has incorporated protocols for approved absences like this, along with other instances like a death in the family, that require a player or staff member within the bubble to leave. Under these circumstances, if a player leaves for less than seven days and tests negative each day that he is not in the bubble, he would have to be quarantined for four days upon returning to the bubble.
Any player who leaves the bubble without approval will be subject to a minimum quarantine of 10 days.
Hayward isn’t the only player facing this type of situation, as Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley’s wife will give birth on August 27.
“The understanding that I would be able to see her and could come back for the baby, as long as all of that was answered and the T’s intersected and the I’s splashed in that situation, I was more and more.” more comfortable knowing I could get back to them at some point, “Conley said in a conference call earlier this week.
The prospect of being away from friends and family for the next few weeks is weighing heavily on the minds of everyone who is slated to head inside the bubble, a process that officially begins on Monday. While players will have the ability to have friends or family visit them after the first round of the playoffs (if their team is still playing), staff members are currently not allowed to have family there at any time, something Celtics coach Brad Stevens has talked about trying to change.
Hayward said the idea of leaving his wife and three daughters behind is somewhat difficult to understand.
“I think for a lot of people in the NBA, a difficult decision in terms of leaving the family, especially if you have young children,” he said. “This is a unique experience that is about to happen, because although we are on the road a lot during the year, you have time to go home. Maybe a maximum of eight, nine, ten days on the road before being home. ” so being out for much longer is definitely going to be difficult. It will be difficult, there is no doubt about it.
“I think leaving the girls will be very difficult and it will surely be a sad day for me. I think they are old enough to understand what is happening and we have tried to explain to them that I am going to disappear for a while. It is something in what I think is what it is. I think the opportunity to compete for a championship and play for a title is something that many of us NBA players want to do. We want to go down there and continue the season and try to finish something we’ve been working on throughout the year. So I think there’s definitely a lot to think about. ” He also praised his wife, who said he would travel back to Indianapolis with his daughters to be with their families, for how she is managing what is a stressful situation for all of them.
“It’s sad, for sure,” Hayward said. “My wife has been amazing through all of this. She is taking care of the girls, taking care of me, because I have been more at home and that is something she does really well. All while she is pregnant. Helping me prepare for this next deal. we are going to go through [and] at the same time, trying to prepare the girls to return to Indianapolis for the baby.
“It’s been amazing … she’s been stressing a little bit about this and I can’t blame her for that. It’s definitely been a stressful time for us. But I think she’ll be happy if I go there and play well and the Celtics play well. I know I will. It will be. I think we are all blessed now that we are on this Zoom call here with technology these days so I can communicate with video calls and I can still talk to her every day. Day. It won’t be the same as me being there and making up stories and go to bed and all those good things, but maybe I can do some of that remotely. “
On the court this season, Hayward took a much closer look at the player he was before the devastating injury he sustained in his first game for the Celtics against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his first game with the franchise in 2018. But he admitted Friday that he still Sometimes he feels pain in his left foot, and although he hopes it is due to that injury, he is not sure what is causing it.
“I wish I had an answer as to why he’s a little sore,” said Hayward, who wasted time in December for the same problem. “I think a lot of it relates to just the injury I had. I’ve been training more or less this whole time. Obviously I’m not full as I haven’t had a court all along, but I’ve been trying to stay in shape. I’ve been resting, but at the same time not resting … as a kind of maintenance.
“Everything is definitely much better, no doubt about that. Sure, I feel great, it’s just that the foot is still a little sore. It is what it is.”
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