Mavs' star Kyrie Irving's ACL surgery goes well, team says
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving's surgery to repair a torn ACL was a success, the team announced Wednesday.
His season-ending injury occurred during the first quarter of the Mavs' March 3 122-98 loss to Sacramento.
Dr. Riley J. Williams, chief of sports medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, performed Irving's surgery.
It wasn't immediately clear what the timeline would be for Irving's return to the court.
"Further medical updates regarding Irving's status will be provided as appropriate," the Mavs said in a news release.
After Irving's injury, Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison described how much the All-Star guard would be missed.
"Kyrie is the heart and soul of this team, and he has embraced the city of Dallas as his home and our fans as an extension of his own family," Harrison said. "... His work ethic and absolute dedication to his craft, it's cut from the cloth of greats. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferocity and passion in him that I saw in Kobe (Bryant)."
At the time, Harrison said the Mavs (now 35-38 overall) were confident Irving would "come back from this stronger than ever, just like he always has."
Irving's injury came after he had performed extremely well following the Mavs' much-criticized, late-night trade of 25-year-old, five-time All-Star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
It also came amid injuries that have decimated the Mavs' roster.
In the Mavs' 128-113 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, numerous players were listed as out or questionable for action.
In addition to Irving, Dante Exum (hand), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist), Daniel Gafford (knee), Dereck Lively (ankle), Caleb Martin (hip), and Anthony Davis (thigh) were listed as out against the Knicks. Among the Mavs listed as questionable were P.J. Washington (ankle) and Brandon Williams (back).
The Mavericks' next game is at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center in Orlando.
