SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Kyrie Irving, the star player for the Mavericks, tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and is now most likely out for the rest of the season.

On March 3, Irving was injured during the Mavericks game against the Sacramento Kings. He tore his ACL in his left knee after attempting a layup, a two-point shot attempt where someone, after dribbling, approaches the basket, leaps and uses one hand to guide the ball off the backboard and into the hoop. Despite the pain, he stayed to shoot two free throws before exiting the game. 

One of the most common injuries in sports is the ACL tear. It’s caused by rapid movement and high intensity exercises. It’s one of the key ligaments that helps support the knee and tearing it is a big deal and extremely painful.

The game Irving got injured in was also a defeat for the Mavericks against the Sacramento Kings and now that Irving is out, the Mavericks are left in a sticky situation. They have no more star players, especially after they had traded away Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis from the Lakers, who shortly after got injured in his first game and has been out ever since.

Many students at Silver Creek High are avid basketball fans and a lot of them are fans of the Mavericks, but they have been constantly taking blows lately. The Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis trade was considered a loss by a majority of Mavericks fans and now that their last star player Irving got injured, many say things aren’t looking good for the Mavericks.

“It’s really unfortunate how Kyrie had to get injured cuz he is one of my favorite players,” Ky Nguyen, a freshman, said. Adding: “Kyrie isn’t young anymore, actually he’s pretty old and tearing his ACL might mean he never plays again.”

“I’ve sprained my ACL before and it was just a partial tear, but it still took 8 months to heal. I don’t know how bad Kyrie was injured but I hope it’s not a complete tear because I’m pretty sure he won’t be able to play ever again,” Emiliano Reyes Hernandez, a sophomore, said. 

Kyrie’s injury may mean he’s never able to play again as there have been many examples of injuries like this ending a player’s career in the past. Some students are worried that this will happen to Kyrie and are having their doubts about how the Mavericks are going to handle this situation.