Kyrie Irving Reacts to Return to Mavs for 1st Time in 586 Days Since Major Injury

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was understandably happy to see his first NBA action in more than a calendar year.

The nine-time All-Star had 17 points and three assists in a 132-115 preseason win over the Houston Rockets.

"A lot of emotions leading into it," he told reporters after the game. "Grateful that Dusty [May] called the first play for me. Had my mind made up just to attack. ... I saw that baseline open up a little bit, and it just felt good to get that out of the way.

"I was imagining how it was going to go, dreaming about how it was going to go. I'm just glad I got that out of the way."

Irving hadn't stepped onto the court since suffering a torn ACL on March 3, 2025, a stretch of 586 days.

While the intensity wasn't what he'll see in the regular season, his efficiency was encouraging. He shot 6-of-13 from the field and didn't have any turnovers.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka reflected that Irving is "back to being who he is."

"He'll only get better as he gets his rhythm back in real NBA games," the coach said.

It's probably too early for the Mavericks to be a serious contender as they build around Cooper Flagg. They're 19th in Bleacher Report's NBA power rankings .

The stakes are pretty high for Irving, however, as he's potentially a year out from free agency. He'll earn $39.5 million for 2026-27 and then has a $42.4 million player option.

The torn ACL added to the larger questions over the playmaker's durability. He hasn't logged 70-plus appearances since 2016-17, and he'll turn 35 in March.

Even if he immediately looks like an All-Star again, those considerations could impact Irving's ability to get a full max contract, be it from Dallas or someone else. Should he enjoy a return to form, the Mavs star will at least have enough leverage to get a bigger payout than what his option nets him.

Based on his output against the Rockets, don't be surprised to see shades of the old Kyrie this year.