Tyrese Haliburton will miss everything of the 2025-26 season, the Indiana Pacers introduced, after he tore his Achilles tendon within the NBA Finals. Haliburton performed via a calf pressure with the Pacers’ season on the road, and it proved expensive within the decisive Recreation 7 in opposition to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. Achilles tears require in depth restoration intervals, and lacking a full season was the possible end result for Haliburton.
The Pacers didn’t initially present a restoration timeline when Haliburton underwent surgical procedure, however the expectation is now that the star level guard is not going to go well with up once more till late 2026, a couple of 12 months and a half following his most up-to-date sport look.
“Indy, I am sorry,” Haliburton mentioned after his surgical procedure. “If any fan base would not deserve this, it is y’all. However collectively we’re going to battle like hell to get again to this very spot, and recover from this hurdle. I do not doubt for a second that y’all have my again, and I hope you guys know that I’ve yours. I feel Kobe mentioned it greatest when on this similar state of affairs. ‘There are far better points/challenges on the earth then a torn Achilles. Cease feeling sorry for your self, discover the silver lining and get to work with the identical perception, similar drive and similar conviction as ever.’ And that is precisely proper. I’ll do every part in my energy to get again proper.”
Final season’s playoffs dealt brutal blows to a number of stars as Haliburton was not the one standout to maintain an Achilles tear. Boston Celtics famous person Jayson Tatum and former Milwaukee Bucks veteran Damian Lillard suffered the identical harm within the 2025 postseason. Neither has a definitive timeline for a return.
Haliburton was within the midst of a legendary particular person playoff run when he went down with the devastating harm. A string of extremely clutch performances included buzzer-beaters in every of the Pacers’ 4 playoff sequence. He was on tempo for one more large exhibiting in what may have been a championship-clinching night in Recreation 7 of the finals as he canned three 3-pointers within the first quarter earlier than his evening and season got here to a untimely shut. For the postseason, Haliburton averaged 17.7 factors and 9.0 assists per sport — excluding his last outing.
“What occurred with Tyrese is — all of our hearts dropped,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle mentioned after Recreation 7. “However he will likely be again. I haven’t got any medical details about what might or might not have occurred, however he’ll be again in time. I imagine he’ll make a full restoration. He authored one of many nice particular person playoff runs within the historical past of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was one thing that nobody has ever seen.”
Final season was one other stellar one for Haliburton, who averaged 18.6 factors, 9.2 assists and three.5 rebounds per sport. His numbers dipped barely from the earlier two years through which he earned All-Star nods, however regardless of lacking the showcase in his third full season with the Pacers, he nonetheless clinched a spot on the All-NBA Third Staff.
