Kyrie Irving provided a major update on his return from injury. The Dallas Mavericks superstar made the announcement ahead of the NBA’s regular season restart after the 2026 All -Star break.
The mercurial guard suffered a torn left ACL last season and successfully underwent surgery last March. He was expected to miss a major part of the 2025-26 season.
Kyrie Irving Drops Disappointing Injury Update As Regular Season Hits Final Stretch
In a statement released by the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving confirmed he would sit out the remainder of the season to recover fully from injury.
“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one. I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates, and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grow.”
“And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day,” he added. “THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”
In a team statement, Kyrie Irving says: “This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one. I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The… https://t.co/2XkMzwPNh7
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2026
His agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, further said, “This is about Kyrie being 1,000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season.”
It has been an improved record for Dallas since Irving joined the fold during the 2022-23 season. The guard’s presence saw them go 75-53. In his absence, they are 42-75. The ongoing season saw the Mavericks dealt with massive injury blows, and they now languish in 12th place in the West with a 19-35 record.
This will be the second consecutive season the Mavericks will miss the postseason. Their last playoff run saw them challenge the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals with Irving and then franchise cornerstone, Luka Dončić, leading the charge. They went down 4-1 to a well-oiled Celtics side led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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Earlier, Dallas signaled at looking to rebuild after it traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. Their plan to build around rookie sensation Cooper Flagg was clear with the move. With Irving sitting out, Dallas will now look to play out the season and look for a strong start with a healthy version of the All-Star guard next season.
In his three years with Dallas, Irving averages 25.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals while averaging 54.2% from the field and 40.4% from the 3-point line. Now, the Mavericks will hope a healthy Irving, along with Flag,g can lead the side to a solid run when he takes the floor next season.
