Haliburton on playing through calf strain – ‘I’d do it again’
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said he didn’t regret playing through a calf strain that led to him tearing his right Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“I’d do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers,” Haliburton wrote in an emotional statement posted to social media Monday night. “For the chance to do something special.”
Haliburton suffered the calf strain in Game 5 and, despite being listed as a game-time decision, played on it in Game 6. After making it through that game unscathed, Haliburton again took the court in Game 7 but crumpled to the floor on an attempted drive to the basket with 4:55 remaining in the opening quarter.
He left game putting no weight on the leg and had his face wrapped in towels in an emotional scene. The Pacers confirmed he tore his Achilles earlier Monday.
Man. Don’t know how to explain it other than shock. Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.
Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the… pic.twitter.com/UyY0iFEp6Z
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) June 24, 2025
The injury cut short one of the most remarkable individual playoff runs in NBA history, one in which Haliburton hit a tying or winning shot in the final seconds in all four rounds of the postseason. It also ended a miraculous run to the Finals for the fourth-seeded Pacers as they went on to lose Game 7 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Don’t know how to explain it other than shock,” Haliburton wrote. “Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.
Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the number of times people will tell me I’m going to “come back stronger”. What a cliche lol, this [s—] sucks. My foot feels like dead weight fam. But what’s hurting most I think is my mind. Feel like I’m rambling, but I know this is something I’ll look back on when I’m through this, as something I’m proud I fought through. It feels good to let this shit out without y’all seeing the kid ugly cry.”
Haliburton, 25, is expected to miss the 2025-26 season, though the team did not announce a timeline for return. He was the third star these playoffs to go down with a torn Achilles, along with Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum.
He expressed confidence in his post that he will be able to get through the rehab and return to top form.
“I don’t “have to” go through this, I get to go through this,” Haliburton wrote. “I’m grateful for the road that lies ahead. Watch how I come back from this. So, give me some time, I’ll dust myself off and get right back to being the best version of Tyrese Haliburton.”
Source: espn.com