The worst has reportedly been confirmed when it comes to Kyrie Irving‘s injury.
After being helped off the floor with what was initially believed to be a knee sprain in Monday night‘s loss to the Sacramento Kings, NBA insider Shams Charania shared that the All-Star guard actually suffered a season-ending torn ACL.
In true Kobe fashion, the Mamba mentee hobbled to the line with the assistance of Mavs training staff and hit two free throws before exiting the game to a standing ovation from the Dallas faithful.
But as ESPN‘s Bobby Marks notes, this is a “devastating” injury for both Kyrie and the Mavericks.
“Irving was playing at an All-NBA level this season,” Marks said. “Since the Luka trade, he was averaging 39.3 minutes, most of any player.”
Not only that, but the 32-year-old has a $43 million player option for next season and he is no longer eligible for All-NBA honors, a $1 million bonus for 50 games played and 50 team wins and another $1 million bonus for 65 games played this year.
It’s very possible that this may have been Kyrie’s last game in a Mavericks uniform depending on what direction Dallas GM Nico Harrison plans to go in as the organization navigates life without Luka Doncic.
Irving’s injury adds to the terrible luck the Mavs have had since making that move. As the star they traded for, Anthony Davis, remains out with a left adductor strain and is expected to be reevaluated sometime this week.
The Mavericks have also been down big men Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II over that span which has only added to the team’s misfortunes.
Suffering an ACL injury this late into the NBA calendar is going to make it tough for Kyrie to have anything approximating a full-season in 2026 — if he even returns at all.
We certainly wish him the best in his recovery and hope to see him back on the court at 100% whenever that date may be.
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