Kyrie Irving reveals setback that held him back from return to Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks missed star point guard Kyrie Irving for the entire 2025-26 NBA season because of an ACL injury he suffered in March 2025.

Initial optimism that the former No. 1 overall pick could play last season didn’t materialize. Apparently, another injury pushed back Irving’s return timeline.

According to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, Irving said that a Grade 2 calf strain suffered in December added several weeks to the nine-time NBA All-Star’s timeline.

In the end, Irving lost a full season as he focused on getting healthier for the 2026-27 campaign.

The 34-year-old Irving is expected to be ready for the start of the upcoming season, and he is also planned to play in one of Dallas’ two preseason games against the Houston Rockets in Macao, according to Christian Clark of The Athletic.

Without Irving last season, the Mavs heavily relied on Cooper Flagg, who was exceptional in his first year as a pro, but Dallas still finished with only 26 games.

Questions remain about Irving, especially how effective he can still be after being away from NBA action for a long time and recovering from a devastating injury at his age. He can answer all of that, beginning in the preseason and continuing into the regular season, which starts on Oct. 21 for Dallas with a game against the Rockets at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.