Mavs Star Kyrie Irving Finally Breaks Silence On His Season-Ending ACL Injury

Kyrie Irving posted on X for the first time since his injury
Kyrie Irving (Photo by Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

The Dallas Mavericks’ playoff aspirations suffered a crushing blow after Kyrie Irving tore his ACL during a game against the Sacramento Kings. The injury came just weeks after the Mavericks acquired Anthony Davis, who also went down with an injury in his debut. With both stars sidelined and several other key players on the injury list, Dallas’ postseason chances look bleak.

Irving displayed his signature resilience before exiting the game against Sacramento, sinking his free throws despite his severe injury. After nearly one week of his injury, Irving took to social media to share a video of his free throws, accompanied by a heartfelt message.

“Thank you, GOD. I understand that my calling on earth is bigger than basketball, and it’s not just about me. This moment was for all of my brothers and sisters who also put GOD first. I know how powerfully unified we are through our unwavering faith. I am that I am, Hélà,” Irving wrote on X.

Before his injury, Irving was having another stellar season. The Mavs guard averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 50 games.

Medical Expert Weighs In on Kyrie Irving’s ACL Injury

Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving (Photo by Kevin Jaira/Imagn Images)

At 32 years old, Kyrie Irving still has time to recover and return to his elite form. According to Dr. Ochiai, a sports medicine specialist who spoke with Sporting News, Irving’s age and the advancements in ACL reconstruction give him a strong chance of making a full comeback.

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Talking COVID-19, vaccination and the NBA with In the Bubble’s Andy Slavitt
Much of the conversation ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season circulating in the NBA media has revolved around something that isn’t necessarily a basketball conversation, though it has pervaded virtually all aspects of contemporary life. We are of course talking about COVID-19 vaccination in the league, and in particular some especially vaccine-resistant players who occupy positions of considerable influence. But rather than making the story about those individuals, the hosts of the “Celtics Lab” podcast Justin Quinn, Cam Tabatabaie, and Alex Goldberg dug deep in the hopes of re-setting the narratives a bit surrounding how we should engage those persons and the issue of vaccine hesitancy (and more pernicious anti-vaccine sentiments) in society more generally. It can be hard for some of us in the media to see Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and others resistant to making choices for the common good, but a steady stream of fan and media ire is almost certainly going to do little to change their minds on how they can best use their platforms (and bodies) to make us all safer (and teams perhaps more successful) in the midst of a pandemic.  To that end, we were incredibly lucky to have Andy Slavitt of the “In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt” podcast to talk on the intersection of public health in an era of COVID-19, the NBA and society at large. Andy has worked with the last three presidents on issues of public health, most recently serving as President Biden’s COVID-19 advisor. We hope you find this podcast as informative and helpful in coping with and making progress on this viral scourge affecting all of our lives as we did. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/celtics-lab-nba-basketball-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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“Thirty-two is not that old. There are different types of ACL reconstructions. They’ve all been shown to have high efficacy. The rehab is a drag, and it’s a hard rehab to go through. But a lot of times, the knee is nearly as good as it was before it was injured,” Ochiai said.

The loss of Irving, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Davis, leaves the Mavericks in a dire situation. Their two biggest stars, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II, also deal with long-term injuries. There’s a real possibility that none of them will return this season.