Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Irving was injured in the first quarter of Dallas’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because an announcement hadn’t been made.
Following the injury, Irving made two free throws with tears rolling down his cheeks before leaving the game.
The 32-year-old was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a drive to the basket and his right foot landed on the foot of the Kings’ Jonas Valanciunas. Irving lost his balance and then landed awkwardly on his left leg, and his knee appeared to hyperextend before he fell to the floor.
It’s the biggest setback so far this season among a slew of injuries for the Mavericks, who lost 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to a groin injury in his Dallas debut following the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The presence of Irving was the biggest reason the Mavericks felt they could proceed with the controversial Davis-for-Doncic deal, a move that infuriated the Dallas fan base.
Now, Irving is out for the season, and would figure to be in the final stages of recovery when teams report for training camp for the 2025-26 season. Irving has a $44 million player option for next season.
The injury could make it difficult for the defending Western Conference champions to get back to the playoffs. Dallas is 10th in the West, the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Irving earned his ninth All-Star appearance as an injury replacement this season. He averaged 24.7 points and shot 40% from 3-point range.
Davis, who was to be re-evaluated this week for a possible return, is one of three significant missing pieces on the Dallas front line along with centers Daniel Gafford (sprained knee) and Dereck Lively II (stress fracture in an ankle).
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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