Kyrie Irving injury history and updates
By Mike Luciano
How often has Brooklyn Nets superstar guard Kyrie Irving been injured in his career?
Irving is one of the most fun players to watch in the history of the game when he’s cooking, but he has seen his mind-bending style blunted by a bunch of injuries that have made it tough for him to consistently stay on the court.
Irving picked up another in a lengthly list of bumps and bruises in Brooklyn’s Game 4 loss against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, as he left the game after landing awkwardly on his right ankle.
With Kevin Durant now tasked with taking down Milwaukee without Irving and James Harden, Brooklyn’s push to the Finals just got even more challenging.
Kyrie Irving injury update
Kyrie Irving is OUT for rest of Nets-Bucks Game 4 with right ankle sprain.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 13, 2021
Irving was ruled out for the remainder of Game 4 against Milwaukee with what was deemed an ankle sprain, and he could miss the rest of the series depending on the severity of this injury.
Brooklyn is already trying to soldier on without James Harden, and losing someone like Irving is a devastating development considering how much momentum Milwaukee has picked up over the last few games.
As unfortunate as this injury is, Irving has very rarely been 100% healthy over the course of his career, due to both his frame and a style of play that has him charging hard into the paint with regularity. Irving has missed at least seven games in every season he’s been in the league.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2021
In addition to Irving’s ankle injury, he has missed time this year due to an elbow to the face from Nikola Vucevic, nagging back and finger injuries that forced him to miss one game each, and the league’s health and safety protocols.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2020
Irving played in just 20 games during his first season with the Nets. His shoulder deactivated him for a large chunk of the regular season, and the injury sprouted back up in February, ending his season. He did not join the Nets in the Disney bubble.
Breaking: Kyrie Irving will undergo season-ending surgery on shoulder pic.twitter.com/FjTHa0CZ02
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2020
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2019
Kyrie’s final year in Boston was full of minor injuries that kept him out. Irving missed 15 games due to a combination of an eye injury, a hip strain, a knee strain, and a thigh contusion.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2018
While Irving missed a few games here and there with a sore quad and left shoulder, he ultimately saw his season end early due to knee surgery that kept him out of the postseason.
In the aftermath of left knee surgery, Boston Celtics All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs, league sources told ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 5, 2018
That left a young, rudderless team to shoulder the load…which they did, reaching Game 7 of the Conference Finals before being dispatched by LeBron James at the TD Garden in Boston.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2017
Irving played 72 games this year, a relatively high number for his standards. His biggest injuries this year were a hamstring injury that knocked him out for three games around New Year’s and a knee issue that he claimed affected his play in the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2016
A fractured left kneecap meant that Irving didn’t make his season debut until late December, and he only played limited minutes when he did return. Irving missed 29 games this year, and 25 were because of his knee.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2015
Irving played a career-high 75 games this year, with a bruised knee and a sore shoulder being the only things that kept him out. However, he did fracture his kneecap in the NBA Finals, officially derailing the team’s season following an equally devastating Kevin Love injury.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2014
Irving missed 11 games this year, as a knee bruise kept him out for three games and a biceps injury helped him miss the remaining eight.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2013
Irving fractured his finger and nearly a month early in the season, and he ended the year by messing his shoulder up and missing nine games.
Kyrie Irving Injury History: 2012
Irving’s injury issues at Duke followed him to the pros, as a shoulder contusion contributed to him missing 15 games as a rookie.
