Video: Mavs' Kyrie Irving Says Knee Injury Isn't 'End' of His Story: 'I Will Be Back'

After being ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving is staying positive about his eventual return.

Irving spoke to fans during an Instagram Live session and vowed, "I will be back, I will be better" before later adding that "this is not the end of the story, this is just the beginning of a new chapter."

Beyond his optimistic outlook, Irving acknowledged that he's still recovering mentally from the shock after suffering a torn ACL in Monday night's game against the Sacramento Kings.

"This one hurts for sure. It hurts. It’s painful to deal with this at this point," Irving said, later adding, "It does suck a lot; I’m not gonna lie to you guys."

The injury occurred late in the first quarter of Monday's game. Irving had to be helped to his feet, but he made two free throws before being helped back to the locker room.

"If I didn't make those free throws, I would have been pissed," Irving said on Instagram Live.

Irving was the unquestioned leader of a Mavs team that traded away star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last month. Since the trade, Irving led the league with 39.3 minutes per game, shouldering a load that eventually became too heavy to bear.

The injury ends what was shaping up to be an All-NBA-caliber season for Irving, as he finishes with averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. The 32-year-old has a $43 million player option for the final year of his contract with Dallas in 2025-26, so it remains to be seen if the injury affects his thought process.

The Mavs have been mired by misfortune for the past few months. In addition to trading Doncic and losing Irving, the team also lost big men Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to injuries as well.

The Mavs will begin life without Irving when they return to action on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.