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Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, requiring surgery. This injury may sideline him for the entire 2025-26 season.
Pacers’ Haliburton after snapping his Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals (AFP)
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, as confirmed by the team on Monday.
The Pacers’ star is set to undergo surgery for the same soon, and is not expected to play through the 2025-26 season.
Getting back might take some time after team officials confirmed Monday that the two-time All-Star tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, an injury that could cost Haliburton all of next season.
“An MRI taken on Monday confirmed that Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon. Surgery is scheduled later today with Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York,” the team said.
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 25-year-old American point guard was injured on Sunday during a game-seven loss to Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals, which could potentially sideline him for the entire 2025-26 season.
The Pacers announced that Haliburton would have surgery on Monday in New York, performed by Dr Martin O’Malley. This injury is reminiscent of the one that kept NBA star Kevin Durant out for a full season following his injury in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Haliburton is among several players who have suffered ruptured Achilles tendons in this year’s playoffs, including Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard. All three players’ availability for the next season remains uncertain.
NBA season too long?
With three stars possibly missing the next season due to torn tendons in the playoffs and the title game potentially affected by a major injury, the discussion about reducing the 82-game regular season is expected to resurface.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue earlier this month after Tatum and Golden State’s Stephen Curry sustained significant playoff injuries.
Silver explained that the NBA now provides more rest days during the playoffs than in previous seasons and asserted that there is “no data” indicating that fewer regular-season games would result in fewer injuries.
“I’m not sure it’s a function of the regular season,” Silver stated.
“There’s a certain cadence to the playoffs. If anything, there’s more space in the playoff games than when you and I grew up in the NBA. We used to frequently play playoff games back-to-back on the weekends. Having said that, we, of course, look at it very closely.”
Silver mentioned that the NBA competition committee will next meet in July in Las Vegas. The NBA will start a new 11-year media rights deal worth $76 billion next season.
“Money is part of it, there’s no question about it. We’re a business,” Silver said.
“But having said that, I don’t really see the benefit to reducing the number of games. People used to say you should reduce the number of games because it would lead to a reduction in the number of injuries. There’s absolutely no data to suggest that.”
(with agency inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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