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SGA on Tyrese Haliburton: 'I feel bad for him'

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | By Titan Frey | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 2:22 PM ET

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the Finals MVP and the NBA championship. He is on top of the world, but even during his celebration, he thought of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, stating he felt bad for him.

While sitting down with the media during his postgame press conference, SGA spoke about Haliburton’s injury.

“I asked him if he was okay, seemed like he was in a lot of pain. You just hate to see it, in sports in general, but in the moment, my heart dropped for him. I couldn’t imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening.

“It’s so unfortunate. It’s not fair. Competition isn’t fair sometimes. I just felt so bad for him… Prayers go out to him for sure. Hell of a player. Future’s bright. That team’s going to be good for a very long time.”

SGA on Hali's injury:

"My heart dropped for him. I couldn't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. I just felt so bad for him. Prayers go out to him for sure. Hell of a player" pic.twitter.com/WGqxBJh59l

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 23, 2025

SGA later sat down with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, and continued to talk about the unfortunate injury to Haliburton.

“Yeah, it was sad. I couldn’t imagine like playing in the biggest game of my life, playing for everything I have ever dreamed of, the high stage, Game 7 in an NBA Finals, and something unfortunate like that happens, it’s unfair.

“I feel bad for him, pray for him, wish him the best of luck. He’s a hell of a player, his future is super bright, he can do whatever he wants with this league, that’ll be a really good team for a really long time.”

"[Tyrese Haliburton's] future is super bright. He can do whatever he wants with this league."

—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Hali's Game 7 injury. @notthefakesvp pic.twitter.com/9qLzqE67Pv

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2025

It’s good to see, despite in the middle of winning his first NBA championship, Gilgeous-Alexander still had compassion for his opponent. At the end of the day, NBA players are human first, and good sportsmanship is always welcomed in any sporting event.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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