Pascal Siakam Sends Strong Message to Tyrese Haliburton After Emotional NBA Finals Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 12:51 AM ET

The Indiana Pacers left it all on the floor Sunday night in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Entering the playoffs, few believed they could make a deep run — but they defied expectations, pushing the league’s top team to the brink before ultimately falling short of a championship.

However, things took a heartbreaking turn early in the first quarter when Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton — the driving force behind Indiana’s remarkable postseason — went down in clear agony with what appeared to be a serious Achilles injury.

Haliburton exited the game just eight minutes in, after starting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc — his best start of the series.

Following the Thunder’s 103–91 win, the Pacers were visibly emotional. Yet, as they made their way to the locker room, they were met by Haliburton, who stood on crutches at the entrance to greet each of his teammates — a gesture that resonated deeply.

Tyrese Haliburton on crutches greeting his teammates pic.twitter.com/a3xhHFeqgf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2025

After the game, Pascal Siakam — who delivered a historic postseason performance of his own — had a heartfelt message for his teammate during the postgame press conference.

“I know he gave us everything — and it just hurts that he couldn’t see it through with us,” Siakam said, via Scott Agness. “Incredibly proud of him and everything he accomplished.”

Pascal Siakam scored 16 points in Game 7, continuing a streak where he scored 15 or more points in every game of the series. This performance followed a remarkable Eastern Conference Finals run against the New York Knicks, where Siakam had three games scoring over 30 points.

He added after the teams NBA Finals loss, ""It was refreshing to be in that environment and to see how much basketball means for people (in Indiana). I hope you guys can see that we fought hard and we couldn’t get it done."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: