Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in Sunday’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
The Pacers confirmed the injury on Monday following an MRI and announced that he would undergo surgery to repair the tendon later in the day. The team did not offer a recovery timeline, but the injury puts the entirety of Haliburton’s 2025-26 season at risk.
The 25-year-old Haliburton sustained the injury in the first quarter of Game 7 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. Haliburton — who was playing through a calf injury — fell to the floor after trying to push off his right leg and drive to the basket. He pounded his hand on the ground and yelled in pain while on the floor.
The Pacers’ star was unable to put any weight on his injured leg as he was being helped off the court.
Haliburton was off to a strong start in the contest, hitting three shots from beyond the arc before sustaining the injury. Haliburton’s nine points had Indiana in the contest in the early going. It was 16-16 when he left the game. The Pacers went on to lose the game 103-91.
It was the same leg in which Haliburton sustained a calf injury during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Haliburton played through the injury in Game 5 but went 0-for-6 from the field, finishing with four points in the Pacers’ loss. He underwent an MRI following the contest. While the injury was supposed to keep Haliburton sidelined for weeks, he vowed to continue playing in the Finals.
Haliburton was available for Game 6 and had no minutes restriction. He played 22 minutes in the game, finishing with 14 points and leading the Pacers to a 108-91 win to force Game 7.
He lasted just over seven minutes into Game 7 before the injury. The Pacers quickly ruled Haliburton out for the rest of the game due to a right “lower-leg injury.” Later in the contest, Haliburton’s father, John, told ESPN his son was dealing with an Achilles injury.
The Pacers initially seemed unfazed by the injury and managed to hold a one-point lead at halftime. But the Thunder’s defense got its act together in the third quarter, taking advantage of the Pacers’ turnovers to outscore Indiana by 14 points in the frame. That third-quarter outburst by Oklahoma City essentially put the game out of reach for the Pacers.
The injury puts a damper on the Pacers’ future. While Haliburton showed promise early in his career with the Sacramento Kings, he blossomed into a superstar with the Pacers. In four seasons with the team, he averaged 19.5 points and 10.1 assists.
Haliburton was arguably playing the best basketball of his career prior to the calf injury. He hit multiple game-tying or game-winning shots in the final seconds of games to keep the Pacers’ hopes alive during the postseason. Indiana would not have advanced as far as it did without Haliburton’s heroics.
With Haliburton expected to miss most if not all of next season, it will fall on Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin to keep the team afloat until Haliburton can return. Despite Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers still have the sixth-best odds to win the NBA championship next season.
