Kyrie Irving leaves Kings game in serious pain with knee sprain

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving suffered a left knee sprain in Monday night’s 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings, exiting the game in visible pain late in the first quarter. Despite the injury, Irving showed his toughness, sinking two free throws with tears in his eyes before being ruled out for the remainder of the night.

Prayers for Kyrie 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/51RkZQq4V4

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 4, 2025

The injury occurred when Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a drive to the basket. As he landed, his right foot came down on Kings center Jonas Valančiūnas’ foot, causing him to lose balance and land awkwardly on his left leg. His knee appeared to hyperextend before he collapsed to the floor.

A moment of pure determination for Kyrie Irving.

After suffering an injury, Kyrie was helped to the line to take his free throws before exiting the game.

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He made both. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/hJDDRTDLg7

— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2025

Dallas provided no immediate update on Irving’s condition postgame, but head coach Jason Kidd remained hopeful.

“Just unlucky,” Kidd said. “I hope that he’s healthy, that it’s not serious.”

Irving stayed on the floor for several minutes before being helped off by teammates, including injured forward Anthony Davis. However, before leaving the game, he returned to the court to take his free throws, cutting the deficit to 23-18 before heading straight to the locker room.

“That’s just who Kai is,” Kidd added. “He’s a tough guy. I asked him if he wanted to leave without shooting, but he insisted. He knocked them down, and then we got him out.”