Kyrie Irving’s season is over. The Dallas Mavericks star point guard suffered a torn ACL during a challenging 122-98 defeat against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The team confirmed his injury diagnosis the following day.
The unfortunate injury occurred as Irving executed a Euro step. While driving towards the basket, he was fouled by DeMar DeRozan, causing his right foot to land on the foot of Kings center Jonas Valanciunas. This misstep led to Irving losing his balance and landing awkwardly on his left leg, resulting in a visible hyperextension of his knee before he fell to the court.
In a show of camaraderie, injured forward Anthony Davis assisted Irving to the locker room. However, in a surprising turn, Irving returned to the court to shoot two free throws, tears streaming down his face as he did so.
After successfully making both foul shots to narrow the gap to 23-18, Irving was helped off the court by teammate Dereck Lively and an assistant coach. Initially ruled out with a knee sprain, further evaluation confirmed the severity of his injury as an ACL tear.
Irving’s determination to shoot free throws echoed the legendary Kobe Bryant, who famously sank two game-tying foul shots for the Los Angeles Lakers after tearing his Achilles tendon in a game against Golden State on April 12, 2013.
“That’s just who he is; Kai’s a tough guy,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “I asked him as they were taking him off the court, ‘Are you good if you leave without shooting? You’re ruled out.’ So they took him to the free-throw line, and he shot the free throws before we got him out.”
Before the injury, Irving had contributed seven points in just nine minutes of play. He had been averaging 25 points and 4.7 assists across 49 games this season, playing a crucial role for the Mavericks, especially after the team traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers, leaving Irving as the primary perimeter shot creator.
Following Irving’s injury, backup guard Jaden Hardy also left the game with a sprained right ankle, adding to the Mavericks’ injury woes.
Currently, the Mavericks (32-30) are sitting in 10th place in the NBA’s Western Conference, which is the last position for the play-in tournament. They hold a 3.5-game lead over the 11th-place Phoenix Suns and a four-game cushion over the 12th-place Portland Trail Blazers. With Irving out for the remainder of the season and uncertainty surrounding the return of other injured players, the Mavericks may face challenges in maintaining their playoff position.
Irving, who made his ninth All-Star appearance this season as an injury replacement, has a $44 million player option for the next season. He is expected to be in the later stages of recovery when teams report for the 2025-26 training camp.
