Gordon Hayward will leave Orlando’s bubble when his son will come into the world
Gordon Hayward announces that he will give precedence to his family by attending to the birth of his sone, even if the Celtics will still be in the competition
Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has said he will leave the Disney World bubble to be present at the birth of his fourth child if his team is still alive in the competition. His wife, Robyn, is expected to give birth in September. The Conference Semifinals are scheduled to start at the latest on August 30, while the Eastern Finals should have started on September 15. If the Celtics manage to reach that round, they may very well be without the forward.
“I will be with her when the baby is born. It is a fairly easy decision for me. I have been at the birth of each of my children. There are more important things in life than basketball, “said Hayward to ESPN.
These situations are reflected in the extensive protocol organized by the NBA and does not catch anyone by surprise. Any player who abandons the bubble will be required to pass a ten-day quarantine and then pass two coronavirus tests before joining the competition again. (Update: In these specific circumstances under league authorization, if a player leaves the bubble for less than seven days and tests COVID-19 negative, the quarantine will be reduced to four days.)
Hayward is not the only player facing this type of situation, as Mike Conley’s wife is expected to give birth in late August. “The important thing in that case would be to be able to see my wife and the baby. I feel more comfortable knowing that I could go see them at any time” said the guard.
The prospect of being away from friends and family for so long is one of the main things that can weigh down players during isolation, a process that will officially begin on Monday. While players may be accompanied after the first round of the playoffs, staff members are not allowed to invite family or friends at any point in the bubble, something coach Brad Stevens has criticized in order to amend the regulations. .
During the same interview, Hayward admitted that he has played throughout the season with intermittent discomfort in his left foot and fears that it may be a sequel to the devastating injury he sustained in his first game with the Celtics in 2017. “I wish I had an answer. I think it may be related to the injury I had. I have been training regularly all this time. Obviously I’m not 100% but I have tried to stay in shape. There is no doubt that I feel much better, only that sometimes I feel pain in my foot. ”