Former Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a devastating injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton went down with a right lower leg injury with 4:55 remaining in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Haliburton’s father, John, confirmed the worst fears, telling ABC his son had been diagnosed with an Achilles injury.
Haliburton has been listed as questionable the past two games due to a right calf strain. Calf strains can be a precursor to an Achilles tendon injury.
Haliburton got off to a hot start in Sunday’s game before suffering the injury. He scored nine points in seven minutes, going 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
The Kings selected Haliburton out of Iowa State with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He earned All-Rookie First Team honors after averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 2020-21.
The Kings traded Haliburton to the Pacers in the February 2022 deal that brought Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento. Halburton has two All-Star appearances and two All-NBA Third Team selections over the past three seasons.