Kyrie Irving returns from 20-month injury layoff with vintage display in Macau

Kyrie Irving waited nearly 600 days for his return to the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks didn’t keep him waiting any longer for his welcome-back basket.

Irving scored a reverse layup on the game’s opening possession on Sunday night, setting the tone for a team-high 17 points in the Mavericks’ 132-115 pre-season win over the Houston Rockets in Macau.

It was Irving’s first game action since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on 3 March 2025.

“It was just impressive,” Dallas coach Dusty May told reporters at a postgame press conference. “His physical condition, his mental condition, and then – I’ve said it from the first time I watched him in a workout – he’s an artist. He’s a jazz musician. ... I didn’t expect him to play this well after being off so long.”

Irving shot six for 13 in just under 22 minutes, adding three assists and two rebounds. Dallas won the opening tip, and reigning rookie of the year Cooper Flagg set up Irving on the right wing. Irving didn’t hesitate, driving towards the baseline before scoring with a reverse layup.

The Mavericks’ bench immediately erupted in celebration, while the roar of the crowd in China – where the Rockets are among the most popular teams, largely because of Chinese superstar, former Houston great and Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming – was noticeable as well.

“Grateful that Dusty called the first play for me,” Irving said. “Had my mind made up, just to attack. ... I was imagining how it was going to go, dreaming about how it was going to go and just glad that I got that out the way. Just incredibly grateful for my teammates as well and their support and just seeing them rise up off the bench to celebrate me as well, that always feels good. And God is truly the greatest. So just being able to perform at a high level, that felt amazing.”

Irving missed all of last season, meaning it had been just over 20 months since he last played in a game.

The nine-time All-Star was averaging 24.7 points for Dallas when he was injured late in the 2024-25 season, and anything close to that production this season would provide a welcome boost to a franchise that reached the NBA finals in 2024 but missed the last two postseasons.

“It’s always great to see somebody coming from the injury that Ky came from to get back on the court,” Houston guard Marcus Smart said. “I know we compete, but you want to compete against the best and you want everybody to be out there. For him to be back out there, it was great to see. He looked good, but we expected him to look good. Very happy for him.”

Irving played eight minutes in the first quarter, a little more than eight in the second and returned for the first five and a half minutes of the third before sitting out the remainder of the game.

Irving is enormously popular in China, which he has visited many times over the years and plans to return to in 2027 as part of his annual world tour. He thanked fans who gathered outside the Mavericks’ hotel to show their support or sent good-luck messages on social media.

“It’s definitely a lot of emotions that were going into it,” Irving said. “Looking forward to getting back home and continuing to carry on what we learned here from each other.”