Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called Kyrie Irving’s ACL tear in his left knee a “freak accident” and refuted the idea that Irving’s heavy workload was related to the 32-year-old guard’s injury.
“The facts (are) that him stepping on (Jonas) Valanciunas’ foot was a freak accident, but it happens in sports,” Kidd told the media Wednesday in Milwaukee. “We’re reporting (it) wrong. The report is wrong.”
Late in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Irving drove into the lane and stepped on Valanciunas’ foot. Irving planted awkwardly on his left leg, which is when the injury occurred. Medical imaging revealed an ACL tear, which will keep Irving out for the rest of this season and is likely to sideline him for a significant portion of next season as well.
Irving missed five games in January with a bulging disc in his back. Since he returned from that injury on Jan. 14, he was averaging 38.2 minutes per game across 19 games, the third-most of any NBA player during that stretch.
Irving’s minutes increased even more in February. In the 10 full games Irving played from Feb. 4 to March 1, Irving averaged 39.3 minutes per contest, the most of any player in the NBA.
Kidd said Irving “invited” such a heavy workload.
“He wanted that,” Kidd said. “Are we reporting that? No, we’re not reporting that. We’re reporting that we’re running someone into the ground. That’s not true. That’s his job. It’s his to play. He loves to play. It’s all right to play 40 minutes at the age of 32 in a month’s span.”
When the Mavericks traded for Irving in February 2023, he was brought on to be a co-star next to Luka Dončić. Dončić was the Mavericks’ primary creator in half-court settings until Dallas decided to trade him on Feb. 1.
Irving was in the midst of one of his best seasons before he got hurt, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He had played in 50 of Dallas’ 61 games before facing Sacramento on Monday.
Irving’s final two points of the season came at the free-throw line. He took a pair of foul shots despite suffering structural damage to his left knee. He had tears streaming down his face at the foul line. He was then helped off the floor and back into the locker room. Shortly thereafter, medical imaging revealed a torn ACL.
Kidd said the reporting linking Irving’s left knee injury to his heavy minutes in recent weeks went “too far.”
“I think sometimes we’re taking things a little bit too far, or we’re not telling the truth because we want the likes or we want the hearts or we want someone to put us up on this platform,” Kidd said. “But we’re not telling the whole truth because it was a freak accident.
“It’s bad reporting. I disagree with whoever said it was whoever is trying to paint that picture that we’re running people into the ground.”
Irving has a $44 million player option for next season. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison issued a public statement Tuesday. In it, he called Irving the “heart and soul” of the team and referenced Kobe Bryant, whom Harrison worked closely with as a Nike executive.
“I’ve been fortunate to have witnessed his journey, his continued evolution and growth over the years, and am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to see him approach the game of basketball with the same energy and fierce passion for the game that he did as a young man on the verge of his career,” Harrison said of Irving.
“His work ethic and absolute dedication to his craft, it’s cut from the cloth of greats. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferocity and passion in him that I saw in Kobe.”
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(Photo: Joshua Gateley / Getty Images)
