Tyrese Haliburton injury update: Tests confirm severity of Achilles injury in NBA Finals

Tyrese Haliburton had an all-time great playoff run end in a devastating way when he went down early with an injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Now, the morning after the season ended for the Pacers, ESPN’s Shams Charania has confirmed the news that fans had feared to officially hear once he went down.

Charania confirmed per sources on Monday that Haliburton had torn his Achilles in Game 7. That impacted Indiana’s chances to win it all last night and will affect what next season looks like for the Pacers with the injury having a lengthy recovery of about a year.

“Tyrese Haliburton got off to such a great start but then he has that fall and, sources tell me that he has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles,” said Charania on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’. “Of course, any Achilles injury? That leads to a long period of absence, usually 10 to 12 months. So, Tyrese Haliburton, torn right Achilles tendon.”

This was a risk that many knew Haliburton was taking, specifically with the calf strain he had coming out of Game 5. However, he was willing to take that chance in order to try to extend the series in Game 6 and possibly win the title for the Pacers last night in Game 7. Now, because he did end up significantly injured, Haliburton will be, per reports, looking to undergo his necessary surgery very soon to begin that long recovery.

“This effort that he had, playing through a calf injury, play through an ankle issue? Clearly, there was something going on in that calf, ankle, Achilles area throughout the NBA Finals. He’s been playing through it. He’s been managing it. He’s been dealing with it,” Charania said. “He really wanted to win a championship. He wanted to put his body on the line and, clearly, he was willing to sacrifice his body to try to get a championship, and he did in the terms of, you know, he’s going to be dealing with a very lengthy period of rehab.”

“I’m told he is evaluating surgery and which surgeon to have the procedure with at this point. And that’s the next step for Tyrese Haliburton, is finding surgery sooner rather than later. We’ve seen Jayson Tatum do it, Kevin Durant do it really within a day or two from the point of injury that could lead to quicker return or a more healthy return when he is back on the floor, I should say. That’s the most recent update on Tyrese Haliburton,” said Charania. “Tyrese Haliburton will undergo surgery, deciding now what best surgeon there is. We’ve seen Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant go to Dr. O’Malley in New York City for their procedures. Kevin Durant went 36-48 hours after his Achilles tear in 2019 at The Finals, and then obviously, as we know, Jayson Tatum injured it against the Knicks and he ended up, really, like, 12 to 16 hours post-injury, having surgery…Tyrese Haliburton is going through a similar process now to figure out exactly who is going to perform this surgery.”

Haliburton, in his fifth season in the NBA and second full one in Indianapolis, averaged 18.6 points (47.3% FG, 38.8% 3PT on 3.0 makes), 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game as a selection to the All-NBA Third Team. He’d then go on to have a historic playoff run, with big-time and clutch play throughout the postseason, in posting 17.4 points (46.3% FG, 34% 3PT on 2.4 makes), 8.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals to lead Indiana to The Finals.

Charania has no doubt that this will be the latest example of Haliburton, coming off the best stretch of his career, proving people wrong upon his eventual return to the court, likely now in ’26-’27. That said, with their star player projected to be out for all of next season, this does potentially change the thinking of what the Pacers could be next season coming off of a 50-32 finish and that berth in the NBA Finals.

“Over the course of his career, he’s been discounted at every stop,” said Charania. “He was discounted in the draft, traded away by the Sacramento Kings. Lands in Indiana, and the run he’s been on as a Pacer? This is, to me, one of the most thrilling runs we’ve seen from a player, a team in a while, maybe throughout the entire playoffs…He had, really, a tremendous postseason.”

“I mean, it’s gut-wrenching for the Pacers because they had put everything on this season and the next few years. They were going to be a tax-paying team. They’re still planning to bring back Myles Turner,” Charania said. “But, the goal now for the Pacers? We’ll see just how they could shift, if at all. Or do you give this team another runway to see how competitive they are in the Eastern Conference?”