Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton sustained a gut-wrenching right Achilles injury during Sunday’s 103-91 Game 7 NBA Finals road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Afterward, replay footage went viral, seemingly verifying that he ruptured the tendon.
Haliburton got off to a hot start, scoring a quick nine points on three 3-pointers over the first seven minutes of the first quarter. However, with 5:02 remaining in the opening frame, disaster struck for Indiana. As Haliburton attempted to drive past Thunder superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the 3-point line, his right leg buckled, resulting in him collapsing in visible agony.
The two-time All-Star had been playing through a right calf strain that he suffered in Game 5, increasing his risk of sustaining a serious setback. As such, concerns surrounding his Achilles immediately abounded. Those worries proved justified, as Haliburton’s father, John, confirmed with ESPN’s Lisa Salters that his injury was Achilles-related during the broadcast. A close-up replay only amplified fears about the severity of his injury.
Close-Up Angle Showcases Gravity of Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles Injury
Following Haliburton’s early exit, doctor of physical therapy and NBA and NFL injury insider Evan Jeffries shared a zoomed-in clip of his Achilles injury on X. Jeffries noted that a “ripple” could be seen in his calf, likely spelling a worst-case scenario for the fifth-year player.
Unfortunately you can see the “ripple” up the calf for Tyrese Haliburton
Achilles is the fear pic.twitter.com/5FLX0xGI60
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) June 23, 2025
Even so, per Salters, Haliburton’s father said that he was “doing as well as he [could] under the circumstances.” He added that his son seemed “to be in good spirits” while supporting his team from the locker room.
Tyrese Haliburton’s dad, John, tells @saltersl that his son has an Achilles injury and is watching the game from the locker room in good spirits. pic.twitter.com/hmP206jamK
— ESPN (@espn) June 23, 2025
In Haliburton’s absence, Indiana rallied to a 48-47 halftime advantage. However, the shorthanded squad ran out of gas in the second half, falling behind by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter en route to a disheartening finish.
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Despite being hobbled and on crutches, Haliburton took the opportunity to greet his teammates in the tunnel postgame.
Tyrese Haliburton on crutches greeting his teammates 🥺 pic.twitter.com/a3xhHFeqgf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2025
The fourth-seeded Pacers (50-32) defied the odds all playoffs, knocking off the Eastern Conference’s first and third seeds and adequately challenging the league-best Thunder (68-14).
This year marks the closest Indiana has come to capturing its first NBA title. Its only other finals appearance came in 2000, when it lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. While the Pacers appeared poised to contend in the East for years to come, Haliburton’s Achilles injury could jeopardize their 2025–26 campaign.
