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Haliburton battles injury, breaks social media detox over secret obsession

Tyrese Haliburton overcame a calf injury to lead the Pacers in Game 6 and admitted to briefly breaking his social media fast — just to check WWE updates. His effort keeps Indiana’s title dreams alive heading into a high-pressure Game 7.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton battled through a right calf strain to help keep his team’s NBA title hopes alive in a dominant 108-91 Game 6 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite being questionable to play, Haliburton scored 14 points with five assists and three triples, sparking Indiana’s fourth-quarter surge and forcing a Game 7.

Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton

MIN: 33.85

PTS: 18.41 (53.75%)

REB: 4.01

As: 9.16

ST: 1.42

BL: 0.67

TO: 1.81

GM: 95

Following the game, the All-Star point guard shared that he’s been on a strict social media detox since Game 1 — though he playfully admitted to breaking it just to check WWE updates. A known wrestling fan, Haliburton couldn’t resist checking the latest headlines, especially since he’ll be featured as a playable character in WWE 2K25.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on Haliburton’s social media hiatus since Game 1 of the series. However, she noted that Haliburton admitted during Thursday’s postgame interview to struggling with the endeavor due to his well-documented passion for WWE.

While rehabbing, Haliburton has also leaned on support from his girlfriend, Jade Jones, who’s been helping him stay disciplined with treatment — even pausing episodes of Love Island until his recovery work is done.

With Indiana still chasing its first-ever NBA title, the team faces a high-stakes Game 7 on the road. History isn’t on their side — home teams have won 15 of the past 19 NBA Finals Game 7s — but Haliburton’s grit may be their best hope yet.

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