Source: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty
First, they
traded away superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, and now, their other all-star,
Kyrie Irving, has suffered a season-ending injury.
According to
ESPN’s NBA Insider, Shams Charania, the NBA champion has torn the ACL in his left knee and will miss the remaining 20 regular season games. Currently at 10th place in the Western Conference, even if they make it into the play-in, their chances are slim to advance further without Irving on the roster.
Irving suffered the injury last night in a loss against the Sacramento Kings. It happened in the first quarter when he was driving toward the basket, and DeMar DeRozan fouled him while his right foot landed on top of Jonah Valancuinas’. On his way down, his left foot hit the paint awkwardly, and he rolled over onto the sideline, clutching his knee.
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His teammates surround him, help him up, and guide him back to the bench as he hesitantly puts any weight on that left knee.
Then, with one arm wrapped around a Mavs staff member and another around Davis, he hops on one leg to the free-throw line and sinks both. He likely took the shots because he’s not allowed to return to the game if he doesn’t. But it’s clear that would be unlikely, as he needed even more help getting off the court and walking through the tunnel.
“Just unlucky. I hope that he’s healthy, that it’s not serious,” head coach
Jason Kidd said after the game. “That’s just who, I mean, Kai’s a tough guy. 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, and then we got him out.”
Irving’s return to the court after suffering such a serious injury invokes a true Mamba Mentality because Kobe Bryant did the same after tearing his
Achilles tendon back in 2013.
An NBA player’s ACL recovery can take upwards of nearly a year, so we might not see Irving on the court again until the end of 2025.
See how social media is reacting to Irving’s injury below.
