Kyrie thought of Kobe after tearing ACL: 'I just wanted to be strong'
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts about how his season ended earlier this month when he tore the ACL in his left knee in a loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Irving discussed the emotional moment on a Twitch stream over the weekend, revealing that the late Kobe Bryant was one of the first people he thought about when he realized his season was likely over.
"I'm tearing up at the free-throw line, and I could just sense that my body was in shock," the 33-year-old said, according to Sports Illustrated's Austin Veazey. "And the moment that I got up there and dribbled, I was thinking about thanking God from the outset - right from the start. But I just started thinking about all my predecessors. Especially Kobe.
"You know, at that moment, I could feel the sense of - my season is done. I'm hurting. I'm crying. I got millions of people watching me. I got millions of people praying for me. I got millions of people that are involved in this journey with me, so they're feeling the same pain that I'm feeling. They might not feel the physical pain, but they're feeling the pain I'm feeling. And I just wanted to be strong."
Bryant famously made two free throws after tearing his left Achilles tendon April 12, 2013, during a game against the Golden State Warriors. The Los Angeles Lakers legend missed the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign and the start of the next season, eventually returning to the lineup Dec. 8, 2013.
Irving was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season before the injury.