Gordon Hayward's Utah return marks latest stop on slow comeback trail

SALT LAKE CITY -- During Gordon Hayward's injury-imposed time away from basketball, between the long hours of rehab and the quality time with his family, the Boston Celtics forward would find an hour or so to slip away, log onto his computer and jump into "League of Legends," the popular multiplayer online game.

"It just gave my mind a distraction especially on nights when I really couldn't sleep," Hayward told ESPN. "I was thinking about a lot of different things.

"It was a chance to hang out. Talk with friends. Get my mind off of it."

So when Riot Games, the company behind the game, came to Hayward with the idea of starring in a commercial for it, he embraced the idea of building one around…