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Gordon Hayward Undergoes Surgery, Agent Says Return This Season Unlikely

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Celtics forward Gordon Hayward is not likely to play again this season, his agent told ESPN.

The report came as Hayward had surgery Wednesday night at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston to repair a dislocated left ankle and broken tibia. Hayward suffered the gruesome injury Tuesday night in Cleveland.

His wife Robyn posted a message on Instagram just before 1 a.m. Thursday saying, "He did great with surgery! So now we are starting the recovery process!"

Before he went into surgery Hayward sent a video message from his hospital bed, telling Boston fans at the team's home opener: "It's hurting me that I can't be there."

gordon hayward message
Gordon Hayward's message was played to fans at the Garden before the home opener, Oct. 18, 2017. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The crowd at the TD Garden for the Celtics' game against the Milwaukee Bucks cheered when Marcus Smart directed fans' attention to the scoreboard, where Hayward appeared wearing a hospital gown and sitting up in bed. The arena hushed to hear the brief message, then erupted in another cheer when it was over.

"What's up, everybody? Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's had me in their thoughts and prayers," Hayward said in the 30-second message, which was also sent out by the team on Twitter.

"I'm going to be all right," Hayward said. "It's hurting me that I can't be there for the home opener. I want nothing more than to be with my teammates and walk out on that floor tonight. But I'll be supporting you guys from here, and wishing you the best of luck."

"Having known him as long as I've known him, it's tough to see him go through this," said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, who was also Hayward's college coach at Butler. "We'll make sure he knows that we've got our arms around him."

"He put a lot of effort into starting his career well in Boston," Stevens said of Hayward. "This is a setback, but there's going to be a full recovery."

Hayward's father also took to social media to let fans know that his son's surgery went well.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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