10:14 pm: Haliburton has published a photo of himself in his hospital bed, post-surgery, along with a candid message to Pacers fans (Twitter link).
“Words cannot express the pain of this letdown,” Haliburton wrote, in part. “The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.
“… At 25, I’ve already learned that God never gives us more than we can handle. I know I’ll come out on the other side of this a better man and a better player. And honestly, right now, torn Achilles and all, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers. For the chance to do something special.
“Indy, I’m sorry. If any fan base doesn’t deserve this, it’s y’all. But together we are going to fight like hell to get back to this very spot, and get over this hurdle. I don’t doubt for a second that y’all have my back, and I hope you guys know that I have yours.”
5:02 pm: Haliburton underwent an MRI on Monday which confirmed the injury, according to a Pacers press release. The surgery will be performed today by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
12:33 pm: Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon, sources confirm to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Grant Afseth of RG.org, who initially reported that Haliburton suffered an Achilles tear, states that he’s traveling to New York on Monday to prepare for surgery to address the injury.
Haliburton had been playing through a right calf strain that he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The injury likely would have sidelined him for multiple weeks had it occurred during the regular season, but he was determined to play through it and was able to finish out Game 5 and compete in Game 6 without any setbacks.
With just over five minutes left in the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Haliburton caught a pass outside the three-point line and made a move to drive toward the Thunder’s basket. However, his right leg gave way as he pushed off and he fell to the court, where he shouted in frustration, grabbing his right lower leg and then pounded his fist against the floor (Twitter video link via ESPN). He was unable to put any weight on the leg as he was helped off the court.
It immediately looked like it might be an Achilles injury and John Haliburton, Tyrese’ father, confirmed as much to ESPN’s Lisa Salters prior to the end of the first half.
While the Pacers kept the game close for a little while after their starting point guard went down, the Thunder began to pull away in the third quarter and held their lead for the rest of Game 7 to secure the 2025 NBA championship.
“It’s heart-breaking, man,” Pacers reserve center Thomas Bryant said after the game, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “You never want to see that with any of our players, especially with Ty. He’s the heart and soul of our team. He’s our point guard. He’s our point god, you know? We all gathered around each other when he went down and said we’re trying to do this for him, man. And it just sucks that we couldn’t get that accomplished.”
“We needed Ty out there,” added forward Obi Toppin. “He’s been good for us all year. For him to go down at the beginning of the game like that, it sucked the soul out of us.”
It’s a devastating blow for the Pacers and for Haliburton not just because it came during Game 7 of the NBA Finals but because it means the 25-year-old’s availability for the entire 2025/26 season is now very much in jeopardy. It often takes a full calendar year for a player to return from an Achilles tear.
Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 33.6 minutes per game in 73 regular season starts for Indiana, with a shooting line of .473/.388/.851. While that performance earned him a spot on the All-NBA third team, he was even more impressive during the postseason, making multiple game-winning shots for the upstart Pacers, who came within one win of claiming the first NBA title in franchise history.
Haliburton is the third Eastern Conference star to tear an Achilles during this postseason, joining Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Bucks guard Damian Lillard, whose injury occurred in the first round vs. Indiana. Haliburton is also the third Pacer to sustain that injury this season, as backup centers James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson both did so in the span of nine days in the fall.
Haliburton is under contract with the Pacers through the 2028/29 season, so the franchise figures to continue building around him once he’s ready to return.