Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving got a heartfelt tribute from Las Vegas Aces star Jewell Lloyd in light of his recent birthday celebration.
Las Vegas Aces star Jewell Llyod took to her Instagram story to give a heartfelt shoutout to Kyrie Irving, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on March 23. She posted on her story a photo of her with Irving.
“Always locked in,” Lloyd captioned her story, followed by an emoji and the number 33 signifying his age.
Kyrie Irving and Jewell Lloyd’s friendship is grounded in mutual respect and admiration for each other’s athletic accomplishments. Their close relationship led to the collaborative release of the Nike Kyrie 5 “Jewell Lloyd Mural” sneakers in 2022, which honored Lloyd’s legacy in the WNBA.
Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 3, 2025. The injury occurred in the first quarter when Irving landed awkwardly after being fouled by DeMar DeRozan. His knee was hyperextended, causing him to collapse to the floor in visible pain. Despite the severity of the injury, Irving displayed remarkable resilience by sinking two free throws before exiting the game. The Mavericks later confirmed that he would miss the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA season.
This injury is a significant setback for Irving and the Mavericks, who were already dealing with a series of injuries to key players. Irving had been performing at an All-NBA level, averaging 28.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in the 10 games following the trade of Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kyrie Irving Recalls Tragic Season-Ending Injury: “I’m Hurting, I’m Crying”
In a recent livestream via the streaming platform Twitch, Kyrie Irving opened up about the season-ending injury that he sustained and the viral and heartwarming moment that followed the incident, which he said reminded him of one of his greatest role models, Kobe Bryant.
“When I had to go shoot my free throws, and [Anthony Davis] was carrying me to the free-throw line,” Irving said, “I’m tearing up at the free-throw line, and I can just sense, my body was in shock. I just started thinking about all my predecessors, especially Kobe. You know, at the moment I could feel the sense that my season was done.”
“I’m hurting, I’m crying,” he added.
So far, Kyrie Irving was officially ruled out for the rest of the season, with no concrete return timeline yet.
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