For a basketball player or any athlete for that matter, being sidelined is one of the most excruciating things to endure. Boston Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving described the strenuous recovery period perfectly.

Back in April, Irving went under the knife to remove two screws from his patella where an infection was discovered. The 26-year-old star guard revealed that a catheter was inserted into a vein going into his heart to treat the infection. In addition, he said that it was fortunate to have been discovered early or it could've evolved into something worse.

“It could have evolved to staph, but good thing we caught it early. I am glad that is done. That was a long, long f—ing two months,” he said, as per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“For the last two months, it was a long, rigorous process, trying to get that infection out and make sure I was safe,” Irving said. “And then rehabbing from there. So I have been rehabbing probably for the last month and some change where I can actually do something without much restrictions.”

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The screws, were in fact, inserted into his knee back in 2015 to repair a fracture. To recall, Irving — a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers then — sustained the injury in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He subsequently missed the rest of the series.

There's no timeline yet for Irving's injury, though he's not been cleared for five-on-five drills.