Kyrie Irving makes emotional Luka Doncic admission: “I’m crying, I’m hurting”

A season-ending injury suffered by Kyrie Irving has contributed to the Dallas Mavericks enduring a turbulent few weeks, which has seen them shock the NBA by trading Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.

Since the trade went down, an injury means ‘AD’ has only played once for the Mavs, who have lost 12 of their last 18 games, a sequence that has seen them slide down the Western Conference standings.

Irving, who devastatingly tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against the Sacramento Kings on March 3, has opened up on the torrid time he has been through of late, both in terms of his ‘hermano’ leaving for pastures new and his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

In a recent Twitch stream, the point guard revealed the Doncic trade, and events surrounding it, had put him through the emotional wringer.

Irving “struggled” after Doncic trade

“Some of the things that were going on in Dallas, like the casket, the “Fire Nico” chants, and these unfortunate situations where you’re attacking someone who’s just performing a function of the business - that was emotional.

“It was emotional for a lot of people, and it was emotional for me too. I ain’t gonna lie to you - I struggled a little bit the first few days. But after a while, you get to where you are by making some incredible moves. And mind you, everybody’s going to have their opinion about what we should’ve done. But we can only deal with what we’re doing now.”

Kyrie Irving follows Kobe Bryant after ACL tear

The mental suffering caused by Doncic’s departure was then compounded by the long-term injury Irving was subject to less than a month later. Following the incident against the Kings, the 33-year-old briefly returned to the court in agony to shoot two free throws, just like Kobe Bryant had done after rupturing his Achilles in 2013.

“The moment that I got up there and dribbled, I was thinking about thanking God from the outset, right from the start,” Irving revealed. “I just started thinking about all my predecessors, especially Kobe. You know, at that moment, I could feel the sense of ‘my season is done’.

“I’m hurting. I’m crying. I got millions of people watching me. I got millions of people praying for me. I got millions of people that are involved in this journey with me, so they’re feeling the same pain that I’m feeling. They might not feel the physical pain, but they’re feeling the pain I’m feeling.”

When will Kyrie Irving be back for the Mavs?

No date has been set for Irving’s return to NBA action, with the Mavericks yet to offer a detailed update on his injury. In general terms, it usually takes players somewhere between eight and 12 months to be ready to play again, so we’re unlikely to see the nine-time NBA All-Star until well into the 2025/26 season.

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