‘Really Excited’: Kyrie Irving Eager For Regular-Season Return At Houston After Injury Recovery
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving said after practice Monday that he is excited to play in Houston on Wednesday, when the Dallas Mavericks open the season against the Houston Rockets. It will be his first regular-season game since he tore his left ACL.
Irving tore the ACL on March 3, 2025, and missed the rest of that season and all of 2025-26. Before the injury, he was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists over 50 games in 2024-25, a season in which he made his ninth All-Star team.
Kyrie Irving On His Return At Houston
Wednesday will be Irving’s first regular-season game in more than 19 months. He played in two preseason games this month, scoring 17 points in a 132-115 win over Houston in Macao and 18 points in 17 minutes of Friday’s 135-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
“I’m really excited, man, really excited, looking forward to the opportunity to just be in Houston, hear my name called out there as well, the state of Texas, it’s a good rivalry game,” Irving said. “And I think it’s a good test for me, just where my body is, first game and going against some high-level competition.”
Dallas split the two Macao games with Houston, which went 52-30 last season. The trip threw off the team’s sleep schedule, according to Irving, but the Mavericks are back in a rhythm.
“But now getting into the flow of things, we’re just excited to start on the 21st,” Irving explained. “0-0, and we’re going against a good Rockets team, so it’ll be a good test not only for the first game but the first 10 or 11.”
After Houston, Dallas visits the Indiana Pacers, hosts the San Antonio Spurs, travels to the Miami Heat, and hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder before the Rockets come to American Airlines Center on Oct. 30. Irving wants to measure himself against that level of opponent.
“There’s no other way to really look at it when you enjoy the competition at this level,” Irving said. “The best of the best, that’s who you want to see, that’s who you want to go against, and that’s how you want to judge yourself. So I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Irving On His Approach After A Long Layoff
Irving described himself as hypersensitive about his health. The Indiana and San Antonio games are a back-to-back, on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.
“We’re approaching it day by day and game by game, and I think that’s the best case scenario for me,” Irving said. “I’m hypersensitive about my health. I want to be at 100% when I go out there, and I know my teammates want to be out there with me when I’m 100%, too.”
“So I’m just going to take it into account that I am coming off a long layoff, but also we’ve done a lot of great work, and preseason has been great,” Irving continued. “Things have been going well. There hasn’t been any restrictions, so just take it game by game.”
Irving is in his 16th NBA season. The time away changed how he looks at his life outside basketball, he said.
“Most importantly, the layoff gave me a great perspective on just my life outside of this,” Irving explained. “And I think that’s what gives me the positive reinforcement of just whatever happens out there in the game, I’m just grateful to be able to lace up my shoes and be able to play the game that I love with guys that I love as well.”
Tip-off at Toyota Center is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. Irving and Cooper Flagg played together in two preseason games, including the win in Macao.
