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Former Indiana Pacers Guard Criticized Jalen Brunson For Holding the Ball Too Long 2 iMay 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts in the third quarter against the New York Knicks during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton’s Injury ‘Reminiscent’ of Kevin Durant’s 2019 Achilles Tear

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 11:25 PM ET

On Sunday, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers had to leave Game 7 after he suffered a non-contact right leg injury in the first quarter. Haliburton attempted to drive to the basket but fell and struggled to get up on his own. According to the Pacers, the All-Star guard would not return to the game, as their season is on the line.

Ahead of the game, it was known that Haliburton was willing to play through injury. He had a right calf strain since Game 5, but decided to play through it. In Game 6, he was limited to 23 minutes and had 14 points and five assists.

In Game 7, the two-time All-Star was off to a great start with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for the Pacers, Haliburton’s night was cut short, and he had to head to the locker room.

During the game, ESPN’s Marc Spears revealed that an NBA team doctor told him that Haliburton’s injury was similar to Kevin Durant’s.

“Very reminiscent of KD in Toronto Finals 2019. Same replay. You see the contraction/pop. Achilles,” Spears posted on X.

Curious to @KDTrey5 thoughts on a lot of things basketball today. One NBA team doctor told me: “Very reminiscent of KD in Toronto Finals 2019. Same replay. You see the contraction/pop. Achilles. “

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 23, 2025

In the 2019 Finals, Durant suffered an Achilles injury against the Toronto Raptors. KD was part of the Golden State Warriors at that time and suffered the unfortunate injury.

Durant had to miss the entire 2019-20 season recovering from the injury. It also cost the Warriors the NBA title.

Haliburton is the third player to suffer an Achilles injury in the postseason. First was Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard in the first round against the Pacers. The next player was Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the second round against the New York Knicks.

Haliburton’s father confirmed that the Indiana Pacers star suffered an Achilles injury

Indiana Pacers Set New League Home Scoring Record In 114-112 Home Win Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 11 Mar 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and his dad celebrate the win over Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

In the second quarter, Lisa Salters reported that Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John, confirmed that his son suffered an Achilles injury. It’s an unfortunate thing to happen to the Indiana Pacers star since the road to recovery is long and strenuous. Durant, who had the same injury, is the only star who returned to the same player.

Even the late Kobe Bryant wasn’t the same player. The Los Angeles Lakers star suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2012-13 season and returned the following season. However, he only appeared in six games and his numbers went down drastically.

The Indiana Pacers star is expected to miss a significant amount of time on the floor to recover and undergo surgery to repair the torn tendon.

Indiana Pacers Star Takes Blame For Game 3 Collapse 1 May 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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