Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton suffered a devastating injury, tearing his right Achilles during the first quarter of Game 7 in the NBA Finals, as confirmed by league sources to The Athletic. The 25-year-old point guard is scheduled to undergo surgery today in New York, according to a reliable team source. Unfortunately, this injury is expected to sideline Haliburton for the entirety of the next season.
In a hard-fought match, the Pacers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a score of 103-91, resulting in the Thunder securing the championship title. Before his injury, Haliburton managed to contribute nine points to the game. Notably, he was already playing through a strained right calf, an injury he sustained in Game 5 of the Finals, which can lead to instability in the muscles surrounding the Achilles tendon. In a heartbreaking moment, Haliburton fell to the court without any contact while attempting to dribble past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, immediately showing signs of distress.
Haliburton had just concluded the first year of his lucrative five-year, $245 million contract with the Pacers. With his injury, the team is eligible to apply for a $22.2 million disabled player exception to the salary cap starting July 1. The emotional toll of losing Game 7, especially after such a closely contested series, is only beginning to settle in. However, the Pacers are considering moving Andrew Nembhard from shooting guard to point guard and potentially adding Bennedict Mathurin to the starting lineup next season. This strategy was utilized in the second half of Game 7, where they played without Haliburton.
“What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle during the postgame interview. “But he will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time, and I believe he’ll make a full recovery.”
Haliburton's playoff performance was nothing short of spectacular, marking one of the most exciting and dramatic postseasons in NBA history. He recorded four buzzer-beaters that either won games or sent them into overtime, where the Pacers triumphed. His memorable game-tying shot against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, followed by his iconic Reggie Miller choke pose, has etched itself into the lore of both Indiana and New York basketball.
Throughout the playoffs, Haliburton averaged an impressive 17.3 points and 8.6 assists, while maintaining 14 points and 5.9 assists in the Finals. Coach Carlisle praised Haliburton’s outstanding individual performance, stating, “He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one’s ever seen and did it as 1 of 17. You know, that’s the beautiful thing about him. As great a player as he is, it’s always a team thing. And so, our hearts go out to him.”
As the Pacers navigate the future without Haliburton for the upcoming season, fans and teammates alike remain hopeful for his recovery and are eager to see him back on the court in the years to come.
