Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving fired back at a theory that has emerged about his season-ending ACL tear.
Some Mavericks fans had advanced a theory about Irving’s high workload being a contributing factor to the torn ACL he suffered last Monday (video here). In the 18-game stretch prior to the injury, Irving had been averaging 38.7 minutes per game, a remarkably high workload for a player about to turn 33 years old.
Irving is certainly aware of the theory. On Saturday, he posted on Instagram and made it clear he is not on board with it.
“Too many minutes??? Or did I get knocked off balance?” Irving wrote, accompanied by a photo of the moment that led to the injury.
“Too many minutes??? Or did I get knocked off balance?”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 8, 2025
Kyrie Irving on Instagram following his ACL injury.
(via @KyrieIrving /IG) pic.twitter.com/RIPmxdtY5s
Irving’s comments seem to align with those of coach Jason Kidd. Kidd blasted the idea that Irving’s minutes had anything to do with the injury, which he referred to as a “freak accident.”
It is certainly true that the Mavericks were probably relying on Irving far more than they wanted to by playing him almost 40 minutes per game. It is simultaneously true that the injury itself was just an unfortunate break caused by a basketball play.
Irving will miss the remainder of the season after suffering the injury, but has vowed to come back better than before. The Mavericks will have an interesting decision to make with his $44 million player option for next year, as the timing of the injury means he could miss a good chunk of next season as well.
