"The Luka curse is a thing": NBA fans react in despair as Kyrie Irving suffers season-ending torn ACL

Kyrie Irving's season-ending injury in Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings has fans around the NBA saddened that one of the league's flashiest players won't be taking the court for the foreseeable future. Irving tore his ACL on a drive late in the first quarter but stayed on the court to shoot free throws, being applauded by Dallas Mavericks fans before he headed into the locker room.

On Tuesday morning, ESPN's Shams Charania shared the devastating news that Irving's ACL injury will keep him out for months.

Dallas Mavericks fans have reacted to the post with sympathy for Irving as the team's ability to compete for a postseason spot took a fatal blow. They admired Irving's commitment to taking his foul shots, very reminiscent of when NBA legend Kobe Bryant did something similar back in 2013.

NBA fans took a variety of stances on the news concerning Kyrie Irving, from expressing sympathy for the All-Star's injury to mourning the Mavericks' loss, even calling out general manager Nico Harrison, who has been the subject of ire as the basketball world continues to recover from the Luka Doncic trade.

Fans subtly took shots at Harrison, going as far as to blame Irving's injury on superstition, claiming it happened as a consequence of sending Doncic to the Lakers.

"The Luka curse is a thing," a fan said.

"Possibly the worst thing that could happen to Dallas is this injury right here. I don't see how Nico survives this," another fan said.

Some fans supported Kyrie Irving, who has a long recovery ahead of him.

"Prayers up for a quick recovery for Kyrie!🙏" one fan said.

"Get well soon King Ky," another fan said.

Other fans were more pessimistic, throwing in the towel on this season.

"So much for the win now Luka trade," said one fan.

"Wow. Just when it seemed like things couldn't get worse," another fan said.

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Without Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavericks' future becomes much more murky

After trading away their future for a chance to win now, the Mavericks now find themselves in the worst-case scenario; both Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are out with injuries, ending the team's chances of contending this season. While Davis' injury is minor and NBA players have shown the ability to come back from an ACL injury, their age is reason for concern.

At 31 and 32, respectively, Davis and Irving's chances to come back from injuries and continue performing at an All-Star level will only decline. Nico Harrison told Mavericks fans that he traded away Luka Doncic in an effort to put together a team that could win the championship this year, but without their best players, it will be tough.