LeBron James & Luka Doncic Lead NBA Community In Prayer As Kyrie Irving Confronts Concerning Diagnosis
April 12, 2013: Kobe Bryant stood quiet in thought, as the stadium echoed with a thunderous round of applause. Despite a probable torn Achilles tendon he suffered a few minutes earlier, the 17th-season veteran stayed back for those two game-tying foul shots, just so he could push his team to the playoffs. Ultimately, the Lakers won 118-116 against the Golden State Warriors, and Bryant went on to become a legend with the move, showing the world how sportsmanship and an indomitable spirit is all it takes. But what he didn’t know was the same move would be repeated. Only this time, he wouldn’t be there to see it…
With tears rolling down his face and a stadium full of cheers, Dallas Mavericks‘ Kyrie Erving came back to the floor after what could essentially be a season-ending injury. At a time when the veteran was supposed to be the lone star defending his team after the Luka Doncic trade and Anthony Davis’ injury, it’s almost as if fate decided to cruelly intervene.
An unfortunate incident unfolded late in the first quarter of the team’s 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 3, when the 32-year-old was fouled by DeMar DeRozan while driving to the hoop. Irving’s right foot landed on Jonas Valanciunas’s foot. As soon as the Mavericks’ player tried to balance himself, he landed on his left leg, when his knee hyperextended before he fell to the floor and stayed there for several minutes writhing in pain. Eventually, the point guard was helped on his feet by Davis and a training staff member. While the injured star stayed back to shoot his two free throws (successfully), he was ultimately forced to leave the floor after failing to put any weight on his left leg.
Shortly after, Irving—who’s averaging 25 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season—was ruled out for the rest of the game, with what was initially termed as knee sprain. And almost immediately after Irving went down, LeBron James wrote on X, “Prayers sent up to Ky”, accompanied by a set of folding hands, and other emojis. Meanwhile, the Slovenian highlighted his former teammate’s injury on his Instagram story. He added teary eyes and folded hands emojis as a caption.
This comes just a few weeks after Irving had lamented Doncic’s departure, saying, “It’s still a grieving process right now. Miss my ‘hermano’”. However, LeBron and Luka were not the only players who sent out their kind thoughts to the Mavericks star. Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden also took to X and posted a crossed-fingers emoji and a folded-hands emoji as a caption. And not just that, even NBA and NFL injury insider, Dr Evan Jeffries also took to X to provide a worrying diagnosis…
According to him, the way the player’s left knee buckled and hyperextended does not speak well for him. Jeffries believes that the best-case scenario is that the injury is simply a Hyperextension/bone bruise. Worst-case scenario: an ACL tear. As per reports, earlier the Mavericks had not provided any postgame updates on the injury. However, going by coach Jason Kidd’s words, it seemed like there was not much to be worried about. “Just unlucky. I hope that he’s healthy, that it’s not serious,” Kidd said.
Mavs Urged to Trade Anthony Davis Away as Kyrie Irving’s $44M Decision Could Land Nico Harrison in More Trouble
If Kyrie Irving has gone down with the worst-case scenario, he can reportedly be ‘OUT’ for around 8 to 12 months. In that case, the point guard has played his final game with the Dallas Mavericks for this season.
It is safe to say that the Dallas Mavericks are not the most popular NBA team right now. After all, the front office did not win any favor by giving away Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, who got sidelined indefinitely after his Mavs debut. As highlighted by social media users, there were lots of empty seats during the recent Mavs-Kings game. Despite this, even the limited attendees stood up and sent their love after Kyrie Irving followed in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson.
Even after sustaining the left knee injury, Kyrie Irving asked his teammates to carry him back to the paint. After DeRozan of the Sacramento Kings fouled him, the Mavs star had pending free throws. Throughout the process, he had the support of the crowd. Some stood on their feet to clap, while others chanted “MVP, MVP”.
“130 Days”: Gilbert Arenas’s ESPN Appearance Doesn’t Ease Tensions Between Stephen A. Smith and Podcast Crew
Kyrie Irving may have played his last game of the season. Despite this, one hopes that he recovers well and returns to the court soon. After all, lots of people, from players to fans, will be waiting for him.
