As Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is recovering from an injury where he tore his ACL earlier this year, there is no doubt that he is seen as one of the more electric players in the NBA. One person who agrees is Mavericks sharpshooter and ultra-motivated Klay Thompson, who spoke about Irving recently.
Thompson would speak to former player Michael Cooper on the show “Showtime with Cooper” and was asked about how it has been playing with Irving ever since joining Dallas last offseason. After reminiscing about the battles the two had when Thompson was with the Golden State Warriors and Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he would mention how he is “the toughest guy I've ever guarded.”
“And it’s awesome being his teammate now, because we can talk about those things and try to add to our last chapter in the league together — and add to our legacy,” Irving said. “We came into the league together — same draft class, 2011 — and I just have great respect for Kyrie. He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever guarded. Put him up there with LeBron, KD, and Kobe — he’s got no weaknesses in his game.”
Some of the legendary games between the two were with the aforementioned teams in the NBA Finals, as they met three times when the two were on each franchise.
Mavericks' Kyrie Irving updates on his injury recovery
As fans wonder if the Mavericks' star in Irving will return sooner than expected, there is no denying that progress has been made in his recovery due to recent video of him shooting the basketball at an NBPA facility in New York.
Kyrie was seen getting shots up at the NBPA facility in New York 👀
(🎥 @CountOnVic) pic.twitter.com/s6v8wnxlJz
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) August 30, 2025
Irving would give some insight into his recovery as he spoke on a live stream earlier this week about being in the gym, though he would not go into detail about the exact steps he is taking. He would emphasize that it has been “incremental growth” for his recovery, though Irving would make sure to mention that he is “healing up great.”
“I was in the gym doing a little bit more,” Irving said, according to a video from All Things Mavs. “I won’t tell you exactly what I was doing because it’s all about incremental growth, but I can share with y’all, it was some good days in the gym. I’m healing up great. To this date (August 26), this will be five months post-surgery.”
Kyrie gives an update five months after his ACL surgery 👀
“I was in the gym doing a little bit more.” @KyrieIrving 🤞 pic.twitter.com/yRjCaGUXUs
— All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs) August 27, 2025
At any rate, Irving looks to return hopefully as soon as possible to help improve the Mavericks after finishing with a 39-43 record, which put them 10th in the Western Conference.
