Here's Everything We Know About Dallas Maverick Star Kyrie Irving’s Season-Ending Injury

The Breakdown: After what's now considered the worst trade in NBA history, Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending injury, crushing the Dallas Mavericks' playoff hopes. The All-Star guard is just the latest setback in a season that keeps disappointing fans.

“To have a guy like Kyrie Irving as the ultimate wild card… that’s like having a Draw 4 in your hand every time someone deals you cards in UNO,” LeBron James said on Mind the Game. LeBron’s never lied. Irving is the most versatile point guard to play on an NBA court. If stretch fours and fives exist, he is the epitome of a stretch one.

Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks’ 2025 playoff hopes were dashed once the enigmatic playmaker suffered a season-ending injury in early March.

Uncle Drew’s injury came after a flurry of disheartening moments for the Mavs fanbase in 2025. Once a championship contender in 2024, the team quickly suffered from risky moves and injuries during a season that was supposed to lead to their redemption. So, what happened to Kyrie Irving? Read on to find out.

In a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 3, 2025, Irving tore his ACL. He only played for a total of nine minutes before he was escorted off the court by teammate Anthony Davis. The injury came off a drive into a heavily trafficked paint for a lay-up.

As the point guard drove to the basket, he bumped knees with Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas. On the replay, it was visible that Irving was in immediate pain after the collision, clutching his leg on the hardwood after falling.

He powered through and went back to the line to shoot his free throws before sitting out for the remainder of the game. Davis coming to help the Mavs leader off the court showed fans an intense parallel, as Davis’ earlier injury proved a threat to their season.

Davis joined the Mavs during one of the most anxiety-inducing trade deadlines in NBA history. The blockbuster trade sent former Los Angeles Laker Davis to Dallas in exchange for young Slovenian star Luka Doncić, along with other players in the mix.

The trade shook up the league right before the All-Star Weekend break and proved that no one was safe from being traded. The following days saw plenty of stars being sent elsewhere in pursuit of better competition odds.

Trades included Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) for Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors), Kyle Kuzma (Washington Wizards) for Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans) for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk (Toronto Raptors), Valanciunas to the Kings (from Washington), and Dennis Shröeder, who ended up in Detroit with the young Pistons squad.

The Davis-Luka trade proved that anyone could be moved anywhere, and Nico Harrison's recipe for disaster was formulated in its aftermath.

While Mavs HC Jason Kidd called the injury no more than a “freak accident” after facing criticism for Kyrie’s increased playing time in the ten games that preceded, the chaos that has ensued amongst Mavs fans is nothing of the sort. Fans have been loudly upset with the team’s General Manager, Nico Harrison, across all social media and even in person at American Airlines Center.

Harrison orchestrated the Luka-Davis trade, and not even a month later, the basketball club was looking to focus on rebuilding before the 2025-26 season. Major sports personalities had been calling Harrison out for being fired from the organization, and his deal with Rob Pelinka was proven to be a chess move that led to his own checkmate.

The weight of getting into the playoffs and to the Finals fell on the shoulders of former Finals rivals Klay Thompson and Kyrie. Living up to his Uncle Drew nickname, the veteran balled out in Davis’ absence.

After the former Pelican was benched on February 8th, the star point guard averaged almost 28 points per game. Kyrie also led the team in points in all but one of those eight games. With Kyrie going down, Harrison’s unwise decisions are being felt in full effect.