Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
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Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers sustains an injury during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Seven of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Asports injury doctor fears the worst for Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton after leaving Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday, June 22, with a serious injury.
Haliburton, who strained his right calf in Game 5, played through the injury and appeared to have aggravated it on a drive during the opening quarter of Game 7.
Dr. Evan Jeffries, an NBA and NFL injury expert and owner of the San Diego-based Evolving Motion Physical Therapy, wrote on X: “THIS was always the fear with Tyrese Haliburton playing on a Calf strain. Fear would be for Achilles’ tear. Best case scenario: Further damage to the calf.”
THIS was always the fear with Tyrese Haliburton playing on a Calf strain. Fear would be for Achilles tear
Best case scenario: Further damage to the calf pic.twitter.com/FHoM1NCG5T
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) June 23, 2025
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However, once he saw the slow-motion replay of Haliburton’s drive that preceded the non-contact injury, Dr. Jeffries concluded that it may be the worst.
“Unfortunately you can see the “ripple” up the calf for Tyrese Haliburton Achilles is the fear,” Dr. Jeffries wrote in a follow-up tweet.
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
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
“It’s a heartbreaking,” Myles Turner told Lisa Salters after the first quarter. “We got his back. It’s next man’s up mentality.”
If it is indeed an Achilles tear, it will be the third time an NBA star succumbed to such injury in this playoffs. Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard suffered the same fate in their first round loss. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum also tore his Achilles during their second-round loss to the New York Knicks.
Haliburton started the game on fire with three 3-pointers. He left the game with nine points in seven minutes.
Tyrese Haliburton Told to Sit 2 Weeks After Calf Strain
ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported before Game 6 that Haliburton’s calf strain in Game 5 was a multi-week injury.
“Doctors told Haliburton Wednesday night that this is a two-week injury, and if this were the regular season, he would not be playing [in Game 6],” Charania said. “But it’s the NBA Finals, and Tyrese Haliburton has said that if he can walk, he can play. He’s walking and he’s playing.”
With one good calf, Haliburton scored 14 points and dished out five assists in a rousing 108-91 victory that forced a deciding Game 7.
After the Pacers star sprawled on the floor, tapping the floor in pain, he couldn’t walk under his power.
The Pacers team huddled around him and his teammates helped him get off the floor. With a towel covering Haliburton’s crying face, the Pacers star was helped to the locker room.
The Pacers decided with finality that Haliburton will not return with a lower leg injury, Salters reported.
Funko to Unveil Collectibles for NBA Champions
With the NBA Finals nearing its end, Funko, a leading pop culture lifestyle brand, is gearing up to launch a limited-time Pop! collectible 5-pack celebrating year’s NBA Champions.
Marking the third consecutive year Funko has celebrated the NBA champions with exclusive collectibles, the limited-time set gives fans a unique way to honor their team’s victory.
Officially licensed by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the collection will feature five standout players from the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Pacers, alongside the iconic Larry O’Brien Trophy, commemorating their journey to the title in true Funko fashion.
This 5-pack will be available for pre-order for two weeks only, exclusively on Funko.com and Fanatics.com, the moment the final buzzer in the series sounds.