Tyrese Haliburton expresses anguish in emotional post with Pacers star set for lengthy absence

Tyrese Haliburton admitted the “frustration was unfathomable” after his remarkable season ended with a ruptured Achilles.

The Indiana Pacers star has undergone surgery to treat the injury that he suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Haliburton suffered a calf strain in Game 5 but played through it until the first quarter of the series decider against the Thunder, collapsing to the floor in agony before leaving the court with his face wrapped in towels.

It was a harsh way for Haliburton’s season to end after the 25-year-old conjured up a series of escape acts – hitting a tying or winning shot in the final seconds in all four rounds of the postseason – to push the Pacers into the Finals.

Haliburton set for long absence

He is now expected to miss the bulk of the 2025-26 season.

Man. Don’t know how to explain it other than shock. Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.

Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the… pic.twitter.com/UyY0iFEp6Z

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) June 24, 2025

Haliburton posted a picture of himself in his hospital bed and wrote on X: “Man. Don’t know how to explain it other than shock. Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.

“Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the number of times people will tell me I’m going to “come back stronger”. What a cliche lol, this s*** sucks. My foot feels like dead weight fam. But what’s hurting most I think is my mind. Feel like I’m rambling, but I know this is something I’ll look back on when I’m through this, as something I’m proud I fought through. It feels good to let this shit out without y’all seeing the kid ugly cry.”

We are going to fight like hell – Haliburton

He also sent a message to the Pacers fans, outlining his determination to build on last season’s surprise success.

“Indy, I’m sorry. If any fan base doesn’t deserve this, it’s y’all. But together we are going to fight like hell to get back to this very spot, and get over this hurdle,” he wrote.

“I don’t doubt for a second that y’all have my back, and I hope you guys know that I have yours. I think Kobe [Bryant] said it best when in this same situation. “There are far greater issues/challenges in the world than a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.” And that’s exactly right. I will do everything in my power to get back right.

“My journey to get to where I am today wasn’t by happenstance, I’ve pushed myself every day to be great. And I will continue to do just that. 

“The most important part of this all, is that I’m grateful. I’m grateful for every single experience that’s led me here. I’m grateful for all the love from the hoop world. I don’t “have to” go through this, I get to go through this. I’m grateful for the road that lies ahead. Watch how I come back from this. So, give me some time, I’ll dust myself off and get right back to being the best version of Tyrese Haliburton.”

Haliburton was one of three players to suffer torn Achilles in the playoffs, following on from Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum.