LeBron James Consoles Gordon Hayward After Star Suffers Gruesome Ankle Injury

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James consoled Gordon Hayward after the Boston Celtics forward suffered a gruesome ankle injury in Tuesday night's season-opening game.

NBA TV shared a video of James talking with Hayward, who was stretched off the court with 6:45 left in the first quarter:

According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, James also walked back to the Cavaliers' locker room, where medical personnel were tending to Hayward, after the end of the first quarter.

After the game, James discussed Hayward's injury, via Sports Illustrated:

Windhorst also reported Cavaliers guard Isaiah Thomas, who remains out with a hip injury, spoke with Hayward in the locker room. NBC Sports Boston's A. Sherrod Blakely described Thomas as "visibly saddened" when he exited the locker room.

Before his trade to Cleveland, Thomas helped bring Hayward to Boston.

"He didn't just help recruit me to Boston—he was a big piece of that recruitment," Hayward said in a blog post on his official site. "He had talked a lot about city and how it was different to be a Celtic. He talked about the intensity of playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, playing at the Garden in the playoffs, and how much fun it was, and how much fun he had playing in Boston."

Hayward's injury came when he landed awkwardly when attempting to complete an alley-oop. Trainers quickly responded, placing his left leg in an air cast before taking him back to the locker room. The Celtics announced he suffered a fractured left ankle.

The 27-year-old is in the first year of his four-year, $127.8 million contract he signed with the Celtics this summer.