Kyrie Irving has dismissed the idea that fatigue played a role in his season-ending ACL injury, pushing back against media narratives blaming his heavy workload.
Speaking on the topic, Irving made it clear that his injury was purely accidental and not the result of excessive playing time. “I had to step on Valančiūnas’s foot for me to be off-balance and get injured,” he said on Twitch stream, via HoopsHype. “I didn’t get injured from fatigue. I didn’t have a fatigue injury. I take great care of my body.”
The Dallas Mavericks star tore his ACL on March 3 in a game against the Sacramento Kings, bringing an abrupt end to what he described as one of his best seasons.
Before the injury, Irving was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 36.1 minutes per game. In February, his numbers jumped to 27.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while leading the league in minutes played at 39.3 minutes per game.
Criticism surfaced after the injury, with some blaming Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and the team for overworking Irving. The veteran guard rejected that notion, stating that playing heavy minutes is part of being a professional athlete.
“You ask 95% of the league if they’d rather play 15 minutes or 35 minutes a night? I guarantee you, 95% of them would say 35 minutes,” Irving said.
Irving also pointed out that he had trained in the offseason to handle extended minutes, preparing himself to play “sometimes 48 minutes straight and not get tired.” He emphasized that he never felt overworked and was willing to push himself to achieve success.
The Mavericks, now 34-37, have struggled without Irving, falling to 11th place in the Western Conference. With his recovery timeline uncertain, his availability for the 2025-26 season remains in question.
