Kobe Bryant offers motivation to Gordon Hayward after last night's horrific injury

What's the story?

Kobe Bryant took to Instagram the morning after Gordon Hayward suffered a terrible injury on his Boston Celtics debut. He would offer words of encouragement on his lengthy message to Hayward.

Take a look at his Instagram post below:

In case you didn't know...

Just a few minutes into Hayward's Celtic debut, he collided with LeBron James and landed awkwardly. Team doctors diagnosed him with a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia.

The heart of the matter...

Kobe's message provided Hayward advice to get all the information he can get for the upcoming surgery so he is mentally prepared for what's to come.

Instead of focusing on the big picture of when and how Hayward can get back on the court, Kobe tells him to focus on the mini-milestones to help get him through what will be the toughest time of his life.

In the end, Kobe wished Hayward the best of luck on his journey and told him that he will come back a better player.

What's next?

Michael Wilbon from ESPN reports that Hayward will have surgery today, but Hayward's agent Mark Bartelstein stated that they will evaluate the next steps after Hayward has an MRI and CT scan on Wednesday morning. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for any further updates on Hayward.

Author's take...

First and foremost, I'm a Boston Celtics fan, and this moment last night was gut-wrenching. Just seeing the shock on the players' faces on both teams and the hush in the arena was something I haven't witnessed in the NBA.

I loved Kobe's post. It was very real and offered great advice for Gordon going forward. The outpouring of support for Hayward from around the league is tremendous, and I cannot wait to see him on the court again.