On Wednesday night, Kyrie Irving played in his fourth game back after missing the entirety of the 2025-26 season while recovering from a torn ACL. The Dallas Mavericks have now won two consecutive games to climb above .500, with Irving putting up 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field in their 120-96 victory over the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder at home.

Irving lives and breathes basketball, and being away from the NBA court for so long due to injury has issued a reality check for the 34-year-old veteran. Basketball mortality is a real thing, and the Mavericks star couldn't be any more grateful that he still has the opportunity to play basketball for a living despite everything he's had to overcome over the past few years.

“There are definitely times when I'm out there on the floor where I gotta kinda pinch myself and realize I'm still back in the NBA game,” Irving said after the Mavericks' most recent win, via Oh No He Didn't on X.

Kyrie Irving:

"There are definitely times when I'm out there on the floor where I gotta kinda pinch myself and realize I'm still back in the NBA game, still back in flow, and when I have the ball in my hands, just getting that rhythm…when you're away from anything for a while,… pic.twitter.com/4taZkdI0pb

— Oh No He Didn't 🤯 (@ohnohedidnt24) October 29, 2026

Irving hasn't exactly lit the world on fire yet in his return from injury. He's only crossed the 20-point mark once thus far in four games, and he seems to be more than content to defer to the Mavericks' rising star, Cooper Flagg.

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But Irving admitted that, while basketball will always feel natural to him, he still needs some time to round back into form and return to being his best self.

“When I have the ball in my hands, just getting that rhythm. You guys know how it is. When you're away from anything for a while, especially basketball, it's like riding a bike. But we know it's a little bit more complicated than that. So I'm just getting back the feel of the game, and just consistently speak positive affirmations to myself,” Irving added.

The Mavericks will look to keep their strong start to the new campaign going when they take on the Houston Rockets in NBA Cup action on Friday night at 8:00 PM E.T.