Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers’ emerging superstar, just suffered a catastrophic injury. He ruptured his Achilles tendon just five minutes into Game 7 of the NBA Finals vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. His injury marked the third player to tear an Achilles during last season’s playoffs. He now joins the ranks of the seventh overall player to suffer this injury. On Tuesday, Haliburton made his first national television appearance since the injury with ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” He offered rich perspective both on his own recovery and the growing epidemic of Achilles injuries in the league.
In an exclusive interview, Haliburton discussed the spike in Achilles injuries across the NBA last season. In fact, he is convinced that there is no clear answer to this disturbing trend. He remarked, “I think that there’s like a notion when guys get injured or when this has happened so many times that everybody thinks that they have the answer to why this is happening.” He addressed a number of theories about what might be driving the spike in injuries. Each one he waved off as being truly responsible.
No one would disagree that we have too many games and too much time — in the competition environment — on the floor. That may be the case, but I don’t believe that’s what’s causing these injuries,” Haliburton said. “So I don’t think that anybody has necessarily the answer.” His sentiments are echoed by more and more players and analysts and speak to a larger discussion about player health and injury management.
Haliburton, of course, injured himself under Odduba’s watch when running through with a calf strain. He found out he was suffering from leukemia for sure after Game 5. He had been exhibiting symptoms of limping a little since Game 2. After passing a calf stress test before Game 6, Haliburton was confident enough to suit up. Adrenaline could only carry him so far, as he recounted, “After Game 6, I’m like, ‘It’s done, it’s gone, adrenaline is going to get to me, I’m going to be good.’”
Two and a half weeks into his recovery, Haliburton was still figuring out how to get around—both with and without a scooter. The Pacers have gone ahead and ruled him out for all of next season as well. He won’t be back until the 2026-27 season. Even with this expanded timeline in mind, Haliburton is determined to ensure he gets the greatest possible return on his time spent off the court.
He’s had to get advice from his peers who have suffered through the same thing. That started with Haliburton reaching out to Kevin Durant when he tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals. He contacted Jayson Tatum, who just tore an Achilles recently. These new conversations could assist him in forming his strategic recovery plan as he gets ready for a long and arduous journey to full recovery.
Leave a Reply