Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t regret playing hurt in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, even after suffering a torn Achilles. He said Monday that he’d “do it again.”
“I’d do it again and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers,” he wrote on X alongside a photo of him in a hospital bed. “For the chance to do something special.”
The final game of the series, which ended with the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrating their first title, began promisingly for the Pacers and a hampered Haliburton.
Despite a calf injury, Indiana’s leader posted nine points with a trio of three-pointers in his first seven minutes on the court.
Then his Achilles snapped — eagle-eyed viewers could see the injury through his sock on a replay. Teammates and Pacers staffers had to help an emotional Haliburton off the court.
“Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable, he wrote. “I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.”
The 25-year-old had led the Pacers to a handful of comebacks throughout their unlikely postseason run, including a buzzer-beating victory in Game 1 of the Finals.
Without their All-Star guard, the Pacers dropped Game 7, 103-91. Indiana has still not won an NBA title.
“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,” Haliburton wrote. “I don’t doubt for a second that y’all have my back, and I hope you guys know that I have yours.”
The Iowa State product was the third high-profile player to suffer an Achilles injury during the postseason. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard suffered a similar injury during his first-round series against the Pacers.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles during a second-round matchup with the New York Knicks.