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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving expressed his excitement about finally returning to action in the NBA.
The 34-year-old playmaker has been sidelined for 19 months recovering from an ACL knee injury. However, he is set to make his long-awaited return to the court in Macau, where Dallas will face the Houston Rockets in a preseason matchup on Friday.
Due to the injury, Irving missed Dallas' final 20 games of the 2024/25 season, as well as the entire 2025/26 campaign. Prior to the setback, he was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
"Conditioning-wise, I feel great. In practice, though, I'm still testing the waters to see where I am. I'm trying to get used to the contact aspect of the game again. I feel like there are still things I haven't fully unlocked to retune my instincts for playing basketball at the highest level," Irving told Reuters.
"Practices do wonders, but games are completely different. I'm just happy to lace up my sneakers again, put on the jersey, and go out in front of the wonderful fans in China," the American star added.
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