Kyrie Irving Set to Make Mavericks Return After 20-Month ACL Recovery

Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to make his return from a torn ACL suffered over a year and a half ago Sunday morning when the Mavs play their second preseason game against the Houston Rockets in Macao, China, according to reporter Marc Stein.

Irving last played in a competitive game on March 3, 2025, a late regular-season contest at the Sacramento Kings. Irving tore the ACL in his left knee nearly 10 minutes into the game. He would miss the remainder of that season and all of 2025-26 year, in which the Mavs went 26-56 and missed the playoffs.

Dallas lost its preseason opener to the Rockets early Friday morning 135-117 at The Venetian Arena, which is operated by Mavs owners Patrick Dumont and Miriam Adelson's Sands Corp. Irving was held out of the game as he ramps back into game shape.

The 2026-27 season will be Irving's 16th in the league after he was chosen No. 1 overall out of Duke in the 2011 NBA Draft. 

Irving is entering his fourth full season with the Mavs after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets midway through the 2022-23 season.

Irving's injury occured just over a month after the Mavericks traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package including Max Christie, Anthony Davis (who is now on the Washington Wizards) and a future first-round pick.

Months later, Dallas won the rights to draft Duke phenom and future NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Then, Dumont fired general manager Nico Harrison after a rough start to last season.

Though Flagg starred in his debut season, his sophomore season features more change than just the return of Irving. Dallas hired Masai Ujiri to lead the franchise's basketball operations. Mike Schimtz was hired as general manager, and a slew of new staff members were added this offseason, notably new head coach Dusty May, who begins his first stint in the NBA after his time winning an NCAA national championship at Michigan.

Flagg picked up where he left off last season in the Mavs' preseason opener in Macao. He scored 17 of his 19 points in the second quarter and shot 50 percent from the field in just 19 minutes of action.

The Mavericks feature a crop of newcomers who made their debuts with the team on Friday, such as 2024 top pick Zaccharie Risacher, and first-round draft picks Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio de Larrea. The roster also features trade acquisitions Marcus Sasser and Santi Aldama, but the pair did not play in the preseason opener, nor did Mavs returners P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II.

Irving has averaged 25.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game across 128 regular-season appearances with the Mavericks in his career.

Dallas plays Houston in Macao at 5 a.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 11, with the game streaming live on mavs.com/chinagames and being broadcast live in Dallas on the team's new flagship station, KRLD 105.3 The Fan.