Kyrie out for season, needs 2nd knee surgery

1:56 PM ET

Adrian WojnarowskiESPN

In the aftermath of left knee surgery, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs, the team announced.

Irving will undergo another procedure on Saturday to remove two screws from his patella that were inserted in 2015 to repair a fracture he suffered in that year's NBA Finals. The team said a bacterial infection was discovered at the site of the screws when Irving had his most recent surgery, on March 24, to remove tension wire in the knee and that Saturday's procedure will ensure no infection remains in the knee. The wire had been placed in his knee during the same surgery in which the screws were inserted in 2015.

The Celtics said Irving's patella is completely healed and "remains structurally sound." Irving is expected to make a full recovery in four to five months, the team said.

Irving reflected on the news in an Instagram post Thursday and wrote, "This season was only a snapshot of what's to come from me."

The hardest thing to do sometimes is accept the uncontrollable things life throws at you. You try consistently to learn, grow, and prepare everyday to equip your mind, body, and spirit with tools to deal with some of those things, but I feel when those moments arise they all give you a sense of unfulfillment, simply because it puts some of your professional journey and goals on a brief hold. It's simply a test of your perseverance and Will, to be present, even in the wake of what's going on. In this case, finding out I have an infection in my knee is definitely a moment that I now accept and move past without holding on to the all the what ifs, proving the nay-Sayers completely f***ing wrong, and accomplishing the goals I've set out for the team and myself. This season was only a snapshot of what's to come from me. Trust Me. "The journey back to the top of Mt. Everest continues." #StandingRockSiouxTribe Let's go Celtics!! Celtics fans, I look forward to hearing how loud it gets in the TD Garden during the playoffs and experiencing how intense the environment gets. Thank you all!
A post shared by Kyrie Irving (@kyrieirving) on Apr 5, 2018 at 10:38am PDT

The loss of Irving is a devastating blow for Boston's hopes of competing for the Eastern Conference championship. The Celtics (53-25) hold the No. 2 seed in the conference. The 26-year-old Irving, who last played in a game on March 11, averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds this season, his first in Boston.

Boston acquired Irving in a blockbuster offseason deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics are still without guard Marcus Smart, who had right thumb surgery in March. He's hopeful to be able to return sometime early in the playoffs.

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