Gordon Hayward Thinks Gaming Helped Him Rehab His Broken Hand

Gordon Hayward’s play on the court is more important to Boston Celtics fans, but the star forward also cares about his play in the digital realm. The noted gamer fractured his hand earlier this month against the Spurs, cutting short what was a very fruitful second season since the devastating leg injury that started his Celtics career.

A hand injury is much different than a leg injury when you’re a gamer. The latter arguably would let you game more, as you can’t exactly go exercise much and moving on crutches is a chore. But hands are essential to gaming, and one would think Hayward struggled to get some runs in on console and/or PC while he had a wrap on his left hand.

According to Hayward, however, the gaming did not stop. In fact, it helped him rehab and keep things loose despite the fracture. He spoke to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and said playing video games helped with his rehabilitation.

It probably didn’t make for his best gaming performances, but it’s interesting to think of video games as a form of rehab for a physical injury. Competitive gaming is absolutely a sport, but not one that (usually) results in the kind of injuries Hayward has sustained in his basketball career. In this case, it seems one hobby has helped Hayward get closer to getting back to his real job.

He’s practicing some shooting and on the court for the Celtics, so a return to action seems to be on the horizon for him. You can thank video games for that, apparently.

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