Gordon Hayward is still awaiting his COVID-19 test results as of Saturday afternoon, two days after teammate Marcus Smart shared he had tested positive.
The Celtics are among the small group of NBA teams to get tested for COVID-19 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, prompting the league to suspend play indefinitely. The Celtics hosted the Jazz on March 6, five days before Gobert’s test results came back. On March 3, the team faced the Brooklyn Nets, who recently announced four players had tested positive.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, the Celtics said they were still awaiting further results and would “communicate them as appropriate.” All players were tested last weekend.
Hayward said he doesn’t speak with Smart daily, but he heard he’s doing “well and fine.” Smart appeared on CNN Friday night and reiterated he is asymptomatic. Hayward also said he has not spoken with Gobert, his former teammate for four seasons in Utah.
“I’m sure it’s certainly scary if you have it,” Hayward said Saturday afternoon during an Instagram live video with ESPN’s Richard Jefferson. “You don’t want to spread it around or anything, too.”
As far as how Hayward is spending his time in self-quarantine? The 29-year-old forward remains in Boston with his three daughters and wife Robyn, who is pregnant with the couple’s fourth child. He and Robyn are currently watching “Good Girls” on Netflix, though he also recommended, “Altered Carbon,” as well as “Jack Ryan” and “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime.
Hayward also has more time to play video games, one of his favorite hobbies. Earlier Thursday, he streamed a few games of League of Legends on Twitch.
“I’ve noticed all these NBA players are streaming now, and I have to say, I’m the original, OG, streamer over here before it was cool,” joked Hayward.
He is still finding time to work out, despite the league’s new policies that bar players from using their team’s practice facilities. It’s not that easy, though, especially with three kids — all under the age of 5.
“Both my effort and the equipment are terrible,” Hayward said, with a smile. “To be honest, I need to go somewhere to work out because then I can get locked in and feel like I’m going to go work. When I just wake up and go down to the basement — and then I have the girls running through trying to do the exercises — it just is not a good environment for working out.”
While Hayward is hopeful the season will resume, he is concerned about the logistics. Commissioner Adam Silver recently noted several options are under consideration.
“I just think it’s going to be so hard, like I don’t know what they’re going to do, as far as, at this point in time, how many games are we going to have left?” Hayward said. “I know the arenas have contracts with other shows and entertainment. Players, we have contracts that are up in June. I don’t know how they can manage all this.
“This is unprecedented, so I’m sure there’s going to be different rules and stuff. I’m hoping that it comes back, it’s just hard for me to imagine it coming back.”
If Hayward doesn’t pick up his $34.1 million player option by June 29, he will become a free agent this summer — according to the league’s existing calendar.
