With Kyrie Irving sustaining an ACL injury and expected to miss the remainder of the season, fans have looked back at his injury history and pondered his potential return for the Dallas Mavericks.
Injuries are almost inevitable in the career of any professional athlete. However, there is no denying that some are simply more injury prone when compared to others. That said, one should wonder if Irving fits the definition of injury prone. In order to answer that, a closer look at his injury history is required.
Kyrie Irving’s Injury History, Games Missed Explored
It turns out Irving has missed several extended periods throughout his career. Since Irving’s play style relies a lot on agility and footwork, the risk of injury has always existed. From shoulder injuries to facial fractures, Irving has been through it all.
Since he has been in the NBA for 14 seasons, it is no surprise that the total number of games missed due to injury is high. Some may remember that Irving sustained a knee injury back in 2015. He tore his ACL on the same left knee almost a decade later.
A moment of pure determination for Kyrie Irving.
After suffering an injury, Kyrie was helped to the line to take his free throws before exiting the game.
He made both. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/hJDDRTDLg7
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2025
While Irving has played in 779 games so far, he will have missed 333 career games by the end of the 2024-25 season. His absence may have been due to injury, personal reasons, suspension, or protest. Therefore, the 300+ game figure does not really speak to the games he missed due to injury.
Considering that Irving is approaching the back end of his career, fans are wondering if this injury is a sign that the end is beginning for the NBA star. After all, he is expected to undergo surgery and has a timetable of 6-9 months. Irving has not sustained as serious an injury before and likely won’t be able to return for the start of next season.
Dallas Mavericks since Christmas:
— Luka Doncic gets hurt
— Dereck Lively out indefinitely
— Trade away Luka Doncic
— Daniel Gafford out indefinitely
— Anthony Davis out indefinitely
— Kyrie Irving tears ACLSeason from hell. pic.twitter.com/nBJL5lAb1w
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 4, 2025
If he is not in the starting lineup, there is no denying that the Mavericks’ play style will change quite drastically. It remains to be seen if the team will accomplish anything significant in Irving’s absence.