Kyrie Irving is making sure the message is loud before he even steps back on the floor.
As he works his way toward a return to the Dallas Mavericks next season, Irving posted a blunt line on X that said plenty without needing any explanation: “Don’t ever forget how you were treated when people thought you were finished.”
He didn’t add context, and he didn’t need to. The point landed on its own, especially after the long stretch he’s spent sidelined since tearing his ACL in March 2025.
Irving was 32 when the injury happened and is now 34, which naturally invites questions about what kind of player comes back from a setback that serious. For a guard whose game depends so much on change of direction, pace, balance, and footwork, the challenge only gets tougher with age.
Still, the last time he played, there was no sign his offensive game had slipped away. During the 2024-25 season, Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.1% from three-point range.
That production helps explain why Dallas chose not to move on after the injury. Instead, the Mavericks re-signed him to a three-year, $119 million contract. Irving could become a free agent in 2027 if he declines his player option, but the immediate plan is clear: get him back on the court and into a roster that looks very different now.
That roster now belongs to Cooper Flagg. After a ridiculous first season, Flagg has become the face of the Mavericks’ future, and the team is building with him at the center.
A healthy Irving could fit right alongside him. He wouldn’t have to carry the offense every night, and he could give Flagg another elite shot creator while also serving as a veteran presence for one of the league’s brightest young stars.
The comeback angle also carries extra weight because Irving has never exactly lacked critics. His refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during his time with the Brooklyn Nets brought heavy backlash, including from Stephen A.
Smith, one of the loudest voices in basketball. Smith recently apologized to Irving publicly for how personal some of that criticism became.
Now Irving is facing a different kind of test. Reports suggest he is fully healthy and preparing to return next season, and the real question is how close he can get to the player who was still putting up nearly 25 points per game before the injury.
If he gets anywhere near that level, Dallas suddenly has a major weapon next to Flagg. And after that post on X, it’s clear Irving has not forgotten the people who wrote him off when the injury hit and assumed he was done.
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