Houston’s Kateri Poole drops gratuitous reaction as Kyrie Irving fights serious injury to stay on court

Houston Cougars Kateri Poole posted a gratuitous message for Kyrie Irving after he suffered a left ACL injury during Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings. The crafty guard was driving for a layup in the first quarter when he sustained the injury.

Despite the stress on his knee, Irving stayed in the game to shoot his free throws before being escorted out of the court by Anthony Davis and other team representatives.

As House of Highlights posted the entire sequence on its Instagram handle, Poole reposted it to her story with a heart and a praying emoji.

Kateri Poole reacts to Irving's injury | via @kateripoole/ig

Kyrie Irving will sit out the remainder of the season. He will undergo surgery and work on rehabbing before getting back to the floor. He has one year remaining on his contract with the Dallas Mavericks with a player option.

The guard addressed the fans about his injury on Tuesday through Instagram Live, asserting that he is determined to come back stronger to the court. He also plans on updating his fans about his journey and teaching aspiring hoopers about dealing with adversities in their professional careers.

"This is not the end of the story, this is just the beginning of a new chapter," Irving said . "Injuries are a part of the business so shout out to all the young ones out there aspiring to be a professional athlete. Learning how to deal with adversity and pain and suffering is just as important as learning how to deal with success and happiness."

---

Kateri Poole is also dealing with a left knee injury

Kateri Poole understands the depth of Kyrie Irving's injury and the strain it puts on a player's athletic endeavors as she is also rehabbing a left knee injury. The guard was sidelined in October 2024 after suffering an injury during a team scrimmage.

The 2024 offseason was a tough stretch for the five-star recruit in the 2020 class as the senior was dismissed from the LSU Tigers under the suspicion that she sent a scouting report to another school.

Kateri Poole played fist two years at Ohio State and transferred to Kim Mulkey's team in 2022. She played a crucial role in the school's NCAA championship run before transferring to the Houston Cougars last year.