Kyrie Irving suffered a serious injury and had to miss the rest of the season
The Dallas Mavericks’ ambition to compete for a spot in the 2024-2025 NBA playoffs has been “splashed with cold water” with the serious injury of superstar Kyrie Irving.
Basketball superstar Kyrie Irving has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee (ACL) and will be out of action for the rest of the season, according to an announcement from the Dallas Mavericks team yesterday, March 4, Vietnam time.
“The Dallas Mavericks announced that Kyrie Irving suffered a stretched knee ligament in the game against the Kings. After an MRI scan, Irving ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.”, according to the announcement on the Mavericks’ official X (formerly Twitter) page.
Irving suffered an injury in the first half in a 98-122 loss to the Sacramento Kings on the morning of March 4, Vietnam time. After the collision, he still made two successful free throws in pain before leaving the field.
“That’s Kyrie, a brave guy.“, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd shared. “I advised him to just leave the field without worrying about 2 free throws but he was still determined to do it.”
An ACL injury will negatively affect Kyrie Irving’s performance for the rest of his career (Photo: Getty)
The 32-year-old defender was fouled by DeMar DeRozan while entering the basket area, while his right foot collided with Jonas Valanciunas on the opponent’s side. The landing caused Irving’s left knee to stretch excessively, causing him to lie on the field shortly afterwards.
Irving’s injury is a huge loss for the Mavericks, in the context that the team is facing a serious crisis in force. Previously, Anthony Davis – who had just joined Dallas in the Luka Doncic trade deal with the Los Angeles Lakers – was also absent due to a groin injury. In addition, the central duo of Daniel Gafford – Derick Lively, defender Jaden Hardy and forward PJ Washington are also sidelined.
Irving’s presence is considered an important factor to help Dallas confidently carry out the controversial deal of exchanging Doncic for Davis – a decision that many fans of the team are angry.
The loss to the Kings caused the 10th place – present in the play-in round of the Mavericks to be shaken by the pressure of the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Jason Kidd’s teachers and students will face a dense schedule in March and April with 12 matches against Eastern teams and the remaining 10 matches against Western teams.
