Kyrie Irving Injury Update: Brooklyn Nets Star Avoided ACL Tear, Could Still Miss Significant Time
Kyrie Irving may have avoided the worst-case scenario after suffering a knee injury on Saturday, but the Brooklyn Nets star could still miss significant time.
Irving left his team’s 113-107 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday after falling awkwardly on his knee in the fourth quarter. While there was some initial concern that Irving may have suffered an ACL tear that would have all but assuredly ended his season, it appears now that it may just be a sprain. As ESPN reported, Irving is set to undergo an MRI to learn the extent of the injury.
“What a week,” Irving said.
“I’m OK, though. Just gotta get an MRI. X-rays were negative, just [have to] go home and see what’s going on.”
As the report added, Irving has struggled with injuries this season, already missing 26 games with a right shoulder ailment and another one due to a strained hamstring. He was also out for a game earlier this week while mourning the death of Kobe Bryant.
After Saturday’s game, Irving noted that he has been through injuries to the right knee in the past and just wanted to make sure that his ACL was fine. He could still be looking at a long stretch on the sidelines, however. Irving has had difficulties with his knee dating back to his time on the Cleveland Cavaliers, missing several games in the 2015 playoffs and later undergoing surgery.
The knee has continued to bother Irving through his time with the Boston Celtics and now on the Nets as well. Irving addressed the nagging injury back in 2018, saying that he needed to give extra attention to be sure not to re-aggravate it.
“It’s been about two years coming off knee surgery, so you have to do things like that, stay on top of it and make sure you’re doing the right things,” he said, via Boston.com.
“Sometimes it may be a little bit extra just from the demand you put on your body and then also the realization of how much basketball you’ve actually been playing for the last few years.”
As the New York Daily News noted, Irving had been struggling in Saturday’s game before suffering the injury, scoring just 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes of action. The game came one day after Irving scored 54 points against the Chicago Bulls, but he appeared to be slowed a bit in playing back-to-back games after missing a long stretch due to injury, the report added.
Kyrie Irving went back to the locker room after getting his leg caught underneath Bradley Beal. pic.twitter.com/6KpqXhfskJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2020
The extent of Irving’s injury will likely be known after he undergoes an MRI.
