The hellish season for the Mavericks has reached an unfortunate climax. Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. Irving’s loss significantly damaged Dallas’s championship aspirations.
Advertisement
This recent development adds to the extensive list of injuries the 2016 NBA champion has suffered in his career.
| Year | Injury | Time Missed |
| 2011 | Toe Injury (Duke) | Missed almost his entire freshman season and returned for the NCAA Tournament. |
| 2011-12 | Shoulder Contusion (Cavaliers | Missed 15 games in his rookie season with the Cavaliers. |
| 2012-13 | Fractured Finger (Cavaliers) | Sidelined for almost a month (November 21 to December 8). |
| 2012-13 | AC Sprain (Cavaliers) | Missed 9 games in March 2013. |
| 2013-14 | Knee Bruise, Bicep Strain (Cavaliers) | Missed three games due to the knee bruise and eight games because of the bicep strain. |
| 2015 NBA Finals | Fractured Kneecap (Cavaliers) | Suffered in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and didn’t play for the rest of the series. |
| 2015-16 | Fractured Kneecap (Cavaliers) | Recovery from injury sustained in Finals resulted in Irving missing the first 29 games of the 2015-16 season. |
| 2016-17 | Hamstring Injury (Cavaliers) | Missed three games around the New Year. |
| 2017-18 | Knee Surgery (Celtics) | Had to undergo season-ending knee surgery in March, ending his season. |
| 2018-19 | Eye Injury, Hip Strain, Thigh Contusion (Celtics) | Missed 15 games total with a variety of nagging injuries. |
| 2019-20 | Right Shoulder Injury (Nets) | Had to undergo season-ending surgery in February 2020. |
| 2021 Playoffs | Ankle Injury (Nets) | Ruined the Nets’ playoff hopes, missed the rest of their ECSF series against the Bucks (Missed Games 5-7). |
| 2021-22 | COVID Protocols (Nets) | Missed 35 games due to ineligibility revolving around COVID-19 vaccine protocols. |
| 2021-22 | Thumb Injury (Nets) | Missed seven games. |
| 2023-24 | Left Foot Sprain (Mavericks) | Didn’t play for the entire month of December. |
| 2024-25 (Jan) | Right Thumb Sprain (Mavericks) | Sidelined for six games. |
| 2024-25 (Mar) | Torn ACL (Mavericks) | Out for the season, ending the Mavericks’ title hopes. |
2011: Duke Injury
Entering the 2010-11 NCAA season, Irving reigned as one of the best prospects. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the opportunity to showcase much of his talent on the court. In the eighth game of his college career, Irving suffered a toe injury that sidelined him for the majority of his tenure with Duke.
Irving fought to return to action, eventually joining the team for the NCAA Tournament. Duke made it to the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by Arizona. Despite only playing 11 total college games, Irving still went number one in the 2011 NBA Draft.
2011-12: Shoulder Contusion
Irving didn’t waste any time making an impact in his rookie season. He brought life to the Cavaliers, who desperately needed a new face of the franchise following the departure of LeBron James. However, his ascension to stardom was halted by a shoulder contusion.
The rookie sensation missed a total of 15 games due to the injury. That didn’t prevent him from instilling his presence on the league, as he took home the Rookie of the Year award.
2012-13: Fractured Finger
Kyrie continued to progress fast in his career. His sophomore season didn’t feature a slump. Instead, he suffered a fractured finger during the first month of play. He missed the entire month of December- 11 games total.
The 6-2 guard immediately bounced back and showed no signs of rust. His stellar play earned him his first All-Star appearance at only 20 years old.
2012-13: AC Sprain
Irving was quickly brought down from the high of playing his first All-Star Game. The Cavaliers guard suffered an AC Sprain just a month later in March. It wasn’t a serious injury, but Irving required a nine-game absence to return to action at full health.
2013-14: Knee Bruise, Bicep Strain
Irving’s third season in the league was a relatively healthy one. He played 71 games and only sat out three due to injury. They were only minor ones, including a knee bruise and bicep strain. They didn’t impact his performance much, as he earned his second-straight All-Star appearance.
2015 NBA Finals: Fractured Kneecap
The 2014-15 season was a pivotal year in Irving’s career. LeBron James returned to Cleveland to play alongside Irving and Kevin Love (whom the team traded for). Their overwhelming talent propelled them to the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 2007. Unfortunately, Irving’s first taste of the NBA’s biggest stage didn’t last long.
In Game 1 of the Cavaliers’ Finals series against the Warriors, Irving suffered a fractured kneecap. He was unable to return at any point in the series.
2015-16: Fractured Kneecap
Irving took the entire offseason to recover from his fractured kneecap, which he suffered in the 2015 Finals. However, the process went into the start of the 2015-16 season. As a result, Irving didn’t play in Cleveland’s first 29 games of the season.
Kyrie’s return took the Cavaliers to new heights and another appearance in the Finals. This time, they got revenge in historic fashion. They became the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals and did so by defeating the 73-9 Warriors. Kyrie’s game-sealing three-pointer over Stephen Curry will remain immortalized forever.
2016-17: Hamstring Injury
The Cavaliers’ road to defending their title went according to plan for the most part. They didn’t suffer any significant injuries to their star players. Irving dealt with a hamstring injury but only missed three games.
Cleveland’s health carried through the postseason but wasn’t enough to overcome the juggernaut of the Warriors with Kevin Durant.
2017-18: Knee Surgery
In the 2017 offseason, Irving believed the best course of action for his career was to find a new home. The Cavaliers traded him to the Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas. He was no longer LeBron’s sidekick but the main guy in Boston. Unfortunately, his first season with the team didn’t go as planned.
In March 2018, Irving had to have surgery to remove screws from the 2015 kneecap repair and clean out infection at the site. Despite the Celtics missing Irving, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals behind rookie Jayson Tatum.
2018-19: Eye Injury, Hip Strain, Thigh Contusion
Irving returned for his second season in Boston and looked like the player Celtics fans expected. He had a relatively healthy season, missing only 15 games. Those absences were due to a variety of minor injuries, including an eye injury, hip strain, and thigh contusion.
2019-20: Right Shoulder Injury
Kyrie’s tenure with the Celtics didn’t last long, as he chose to leave the team in free agency. He joined forces with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. During his first season with the Nets, Irving was sensational.
Unfortunately, he suffered a right shoulder injury in February 2020. The injury required season-ending surgery, which put Irving on the sidelines with Durant.
2021 Playoffs: Ankle Injury
2021 is a sensitive topic in Nets history. Brooklyn went all-in on their core of Durant and Irving by trading for James Harden. Everyone felt the championship belonged to the Nets. However, they remain the biggest what-if, and injuries are the reason.
They were dominating in the semifinal series against the Bucks. In the second quarter of Game 4, Irving went for a layup. On his way down, he landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot and suffered a severe ankle injury. He didn’t return to the series, and the Nets’ title aspirations vanished.
2021-22: COVID Protocols
By far the most controversial talking point in Irving’s career is his stance throughout the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The NBA didn’t require players to receive a vaccination shot, but they had to adhere to the state where the team was based in.
New York happened to be one of the only states that wouldn’t allow any athlete to participate in sports if they weren’t vaccinated. As a result, Irving missed 35 games and played strictly away games for most of the season.
2021-22: Thumb Injury
On top of Irving’s absence from the court due to COVID-19 protocols, he suffered a thumb injury. The ailment set him back seven games. He only played 29 games total in the 2021-22 season.
2023-24: Left Foot Sprain
Dallas acquired the All-NBA guard, and Irving grew comfortable in his new home in Dallas. However, he suffered a setback following a left foot sprain and missed the month of December.
The electric guard bounced back emphatically. He served as key component, helping push the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011.
2024-25: Right Thumb Sprain (January)
Kyrie didn’t start the New Year of the 2024-25 season in the best fashion. He suffered a right thumb sprain but only missed a total of six games during that time. Irving continued where he left off once he got back and more, which may have been his downfall.
2024-25: Torn ACL (March)
Irving remained the one consistent force for Dallas amid their long list of injuries. However, the mileage on his body seemingly caught up to him. Irving drove to the basket and, unfortunately, tore his ACL. The injury is the most significant he has suffered in his career.
Irving is out for the season but hopes to return in 2025-2026 at full health. Kyrie is one of the most positive players in the league and has never pushed away adversity. If anyone is capable of bouncing back from this type of injury, it’s Irving.
