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Kyrie Irving went 19 months without talking to reporters. When he finally did on Friday, Sept. 24, he said the torn ACL that kept him out of the NBA all that time was “probably the best thing that happened to me.”
He said he is done rehabbing. The Dallas Mavericks guard told reporters at the team’s media day that he has no physical restrictions in his left knee, which he injured March 3, 2025.
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“I’m ready to go out there and kick some butt,” Irving said. “I know that naysayers or some of the questions around where I’m going to be are going to be inevitable. But for me, I have the confidence of a champion.”
All that time away also gave him a lot of time to think. Irving, 34, said he spent it considering “where I want to be as a player and most importantly where do I want to be as a man.
“How can people look to me to be a better leader, a better communicator, be more emotional, more vulnerable,” Irving said.
Kyrie Irving’s comeback by the numbers
■ 19: Months he’s been sidelined. A typical ACL recovery takes nine to 12 months.
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■ 34: His age and he knows that isn’t on his side. “Being 34 years old, I’m going on Year 16,” he said. “Been through a lot, been through a lot of ups and downs as a person.”
■ 9: All-Star selections
■ 1: Championship, won with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016
■ 0: Reasons to doubt his effort, according to Irving. “You never have to worry about me falling short of (putting) my best foot forward out there.”
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NBA champions through the years
2026: New York Knicks (beat San Antonio Spurs in five games)
(Dustin Safranek, Imagn Images)
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NBA champions through the years
2026: New York Knicks (beat San Antonio Spurs in five games)
(Dustin Safranek, Imagn Images)
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NBA champions through the years
2025: Oklahoma City Thunder (beat Indiana Pacers in seven games)
(Kyle Terada, Imagn Images)
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NBA champions through the years
2024: Boston Celtics (beat Dallas Mavericks in five games)
(Peter Casey, USA TODAY Sports)
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NBA champions through the years
2023: Denver Nuggets (beat Miami Heat in five games)
(Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)
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