WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was back on the basketball court and back on his feet Saturday.
No, he wasn’t running or shooting — it’s far too early for that just two months into his Achilles tendon rehab, an increasingly common recovery in the NBA. But it was progress.
And being at the Indiana Pacers Athletic Center in suburban Indianapolis, surrounded by 300-plus eager youth basketball campers, brought back Haliburton’s million-dollar smile, too.
“I’m walking in my boot, getting closer to walking full time in my shoe, so that’s exciting,” he said. “Every couple of weeks, it’s kind of a new benchmark, a new achievement. So it’s the small wins right now. There are good days, bad days, so every day is kind of Groundhog Day. I’m just trying to get well.”
Saturday was a good day. He had made enough progress to pose for pictures, stand for interviews, and walk, in a protective boot, around the facility.
None of it would have been possible back in late June when this event was initially scheduled. Those plans changed the moment Haliburton’s strained right calf quivered during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Haliburton immediately crashed to the floor, leaving teammates, coaches and fans in disbelief.
He needed help to leave the court and watched the rest of the game from the locker room with his father, John. The Pacers came up short that night, and Haliburton left the arena on crutches, knowing the likely diagnosis — surgery that would cost him all of next season.
The silver lining: Haliburton said he won’t rush the recovery and he’s rehabbing with Indiana’s other prominent injured star, two-time WNBA All-Star Caitlin Clark. She hasn’t played since July 15 because of an injured right groin, her third muscle injury this season.
“It sucks she’s been hurt as long as she has, but for us to be able to communicate, even with her recovery we lift at the same time so it’s like just us two in the weight room,” he said. “I wish she was playing, but I think it’s good to have each other to lean on right now.”
Haliburton has followed the recoveries of Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who also suffered Achilles tendon injuries in the playoffs and could miss all of this coming season. Tatum recently called the first six weeks after the injury “probably the toughest six weeks of any point in my life.”
At least three Pacers players — Haliburton, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman — can empathize. Jackson and Wiseman both injured Achilles tendons early last season, and they hope to be ready for Indiana’s season opener on Oct. 23 against defending champ Oklahoma City. So they’ve been providing advice and encouragement.
“We’ve kind of got a little bit of an Achilles group in our own locker room,” Haliburton said. “It means the world to me because you get tired of complaining to the trainers. You know they’re just doing their job, they’re doing everything they can. But sometimes being able to talk, complain, to those guys means a lot.”
The boxes of letters he has received from well-wishers in Indiana, his home state of Wisconsin, his college home in Iowa and around the nation have helped, too.
So does seeing teammates — old and new. Forward James Johnson flew into town to work the camp. Rookie guards Taelon Peter and Kam Jones were there, too, as was Haliburton’s proud and passionate father who was glad-handing and chatting it up with anyone willing to stop.
But perhaps the best medicine for Haliburton was being out in public, spending time with all those smiling kids in their Tyrese Haliburton camp T-shirts.
“A lot of these kids are coming up to me saying ‘I was at this game in the playoffs and at that game,’” Haliburton said, smiling ear to ear. “So I think just showing that I’m not, they might think I’m like this mythical being. I know I thought that when I was their age. So it’s cool to be here, in front of the kids, hanging out, spending some time with them. I love being around it.”
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