Kyrie Irving's recovery from a torn ACL included a setback the Dallas Mavericks never announced. Speaking to reporters in Macao this week, the guard said a calf strain in December cost him roughly two months.
"Throughout the season, I did have a moment in December where I did have a setback," Irving said, according to Yahoo Sports. "That did put me out for about eight weeks."
He described it as a Grade 2 strain that "kind of pushed my timeline back even more," adding, "So I had to take my time to heal."
Injury analyst Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes classifies a Grade 2 calf strain as a partial tear of the muscle, Yahoo reported. The Mavericks did not disclose the setback before ruling Irving out for the rest of the 2025-26 season on Feb. 18.
One game, not two
Irving has been cleared, and coach Dusty May told reporters after Thursday's practice that he would play in only one of the two exhibitions against Houston at The Venetian Arena. He did not play in Friday's opener, a 135-117 Rockets win, according to the ESPN box score, which leaves Sunday's rematch.
"We'll have a limited roster. Even with Kyrie, he's going to play one game here," May said, according to the Dallas Sports Journal. "We still haven't decided which one, based on how his body feels, especially with the jet lag and things like that."
May said before the trip's first game that the staff was still working through lineup combinations. Sunday's game tips off at 4:30 a.m. Central and airs on NBA TV, the Sports Journal reported.
If he plays Sunday, it will be his first game since the night of March 3, 2025, when Sacramento beat Dallas 122-98 at American Airlines Center and Irving went down with the knee injury. He turned 34 in March.
"It's been a year and some change, so I do feel like a little kid at the candy store a little bit, just waiting for my opportunity to be able to show my stuff," Irving told the Sports Journal after Tuesday's practice.
