Luka Doncic reacts as Kyrie Irving cries after seemingly suffering season-ending injury and limps to locker room in excruciating pain

Lakers superstar Luka Doncic wasted no time sending his thoughts and prayers after his former teammate Kyrie Irving appeared to suffer a season-ending injury on Monday. During the Dallas Mavericks' game against the Sacramento Kings, Irving was escorted to the locker room by Anthony Davis after sustaining a left knee sprain.

Given the way Irving remained on the floor, writhing in pain, it seemed the injury could be more serious than just a sprain. Further details on the one-time NBA champion's injury are expected to be released on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Luka Doncic responded to Irving’s injury by sharing a story on Instagram, accompanied by emojis. Doncic had formed a close bond with Irving during their time together with the Mavericks.

(Credit: Luka Doncic/Instagram)

Kyrie Irving took a hard fall in the first quarter after being fouled while attempting a floater. Despite the pain, he got up and stepped to the free-throw line, knocking down both attempts before eventually exiting the game. The point guard was in tears while shooting free throws.

His night ended after he scored seven points in 9:25 minutes, shooting 2 of 4 from the field. He also recorded one rebound and one assist.

Kyrie Irving on his relationship with Luka Doncic

After the Dallas Mavericks' recent game against the LA Lakers, Kyrie Irving opened up about his relationship with Luka Doncic. He emphasized that his primary goal was to protect Doncic, noting that their bond extends far beyond just basketball.

“(Doncic) is an innocent kid, same time, just ultra-talented," Irving said of Doncic. "Whole word is in front of him. You want to protect people like that, too, because I feel like sometimes people come at him crazy, which is unnecessary… So my goal was just to protect him, man. That’s why it goes deeper than basketball."

Irving and Doncic were key members of the Mavericks team that reached the NBA Finals last season. However, their championship aspirations fell short as they were defeated 4-1 by the Boston Celtics in the finals.