Kyrie Irving continues to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee, but the Mavericks star offered an update on that process late Friday evening.

Irving, speaking on a Twitch stream, said he’s making progress and he’s almost fully healthy after being sidelined for the last 15 months.

“I am definitely close to being over at 100% in terms of my ACL recovery,” Irving said. “It’s been a while now. I’m so grateful that I’ve had the time to heal and just experiment with my body more on the court and off the court in the weight room and just pushing myself to the limit.”

Irving sustained the injury on March 3, 2025 in a loss to the Sacramento Kings when he inadvertently stepped on the foot of Jonas Valanciunas. His knee bent awkwardly and he collapsed to the court. Despite the pain, Irving valiantly made both of his free throws before he was escorted to the locker room by his teammates.

Because Irving suffered the injury in early March of last year, there was initial speculation that he could make a midseason return to help the Mavericks’ playoff hopes. However, Dallas traded Anthony Davis and changed its priorities to build around Cooper Flagg, which gave Irving an opportunity to use the entire 2025-26 season to prioritize his rehabilitation process.

Irving is two months removed from his 34th birthday and will be a year and seven months from his last NBA game by the time the 2026-27 season begins. The initial concern surrounding Irving’s injury was the perception of his age and whether he’d still be able to play at the All-Star caliber level he was just before tearing his ACL.

“At this age, I feel like the game is slowing down, but I also feel like I’m able to do more out there more efficiently,” Irving said. “I’ve given the proper time for other parts of my body to heal.”

If Irving plays for the Mavericks next season, he’ll do so under a new team president, general manager and head coach, not to mention new assistant coaches and medical personnel. The Mavericks’ new leadership duo of Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz are optimistic about Irving’s fit next to Flagg, who earned Rookie of the Year honors this season.

“Super excited, and at least from my perspective, he’s looking forward to the dynamic with him and Cooper on the floor together,” Schmitz told The Dallas Morning News. “That’s something we’re really, really excited to see. Just his shotmaking, his ability to create offense, his savvy, his IQ, his experience. He’s won at the highest levels of this sport.”