Kyrie Irving reveals an extra injury setback during ACL rehab before he ends 19-month NBA absence
Dallas Mavericks guard will play in one of the two games against the Houston Rockets as part of the NBA Global Games in Macau, ending a 19-month absence from the court.
Irving’s last game of NBA basketball came on February 18, 2025, as he tore his ACL after carrying a huge minutes load for a playoff-contending Mavericks after they traded Luka Doncic away.
The organisation has changed almost entirely in the time he’s spent on the trainer’s table rehabbing from the major injury, but he is still a part of the squad and getting ready to play his first game in almost two years.
Kyrie Irving’s NBA return was delayed due to an additional injury
Despite murmurs of Irving potentially returning last season, the 34-year-old missed the entire year, presumably because the Mavericks were tanking.
However, Irving revealed to the media in Macau that he suffered a significant setback during his ACL recovery process with a Grade 2 calf strain in December, which added eight weeks to his recovery time.
“Kyrie Irving reveals in Macau that he had a Grade 2 calf strain in December that set him back 8 weeks during his recovery from ACL surgery.”
With the usual timeline for return from an ACL sitting between nine to 12 months, two additional months of recovery time essentially meant that Irving could not be cleared to return before April 2026, by which point the NBA regular season is in its final two weeks.
Mavericks head coach Dusty May has confirmed that Irving will play in one of the two games in Macau, so his return to an NBA court is confirmed for preseason.
Despite heavy trade rumours as a relic of the Nico Harrison era, Irving has remained steadfast with his loyalty to the city and the team, with new team President Masai Ujiri reaffirming Irving’s place in the lineup as the second half of a dynamic duo with Cooper Flagg.
While trade rumours will likely persist around Irving given the transitional nature of the current Mavs squad into the Flagg era, what is most important is Irving proving he has moved past his injury and can return as the highly effective scorer he has made a career out of.
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