The Indiana star revealed he gained 30 pounds due to his current inactivity from his Achilles recovery.
In his appearance on the latest episode of LeBron James' Mind the Game podcast, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton dropped a significant update regarding his current Achilles rehabilitation.
Indiana Pacers / Schedule
"I'm approaching Week 31 here, so almost going on eight months," Haliburton said. "Man, I feel really good. My body feels really good. I just started playing 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 full court. That's been good to be with the [player development] interns and stuff. It's been funny because as I've started playing with the interns and [assistant coach] Jannero Pargo, one of our player development guys, I'm playing with these guys and I feel so nice. I'm like, 'Ooh, I can play in an NBA game right now.'"
Haliburton further noted that he recently had a one-on-one session with Pacers guard Ben Mathurin, which reminded him that he still has a lot of hurdles to take before finally coming back.
The franchise guard is currently on track towards full recovery since sustaining a devastating Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He is expected to only return by the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Haliburton further told James that he actually gained a huge amount of weight since going down with the injury.
"Bruh, I'm up right now today, I was 180 pounds on Game 7 day. I'm 210 right now. I'm up 30 pounds, bro. Obviously, when I start to run, I'm gonna get that off. Some of it's not, like, good. I've been drowning my sorrows in cookies and ice cream and stuff.
"But I think I see that and it's a way for me to be more physical at the rim and get more free throws."
With Haliburton out of the lineup, the Pacers have struggled all throughout this season. The East champions are currently in 14th spot in the Conference ladder with an 11-36 record.
The process of accepting the reality is even more challenging for Haliburton, but he is fully mindful of the purpose behind his basketball shutdown.
"I think the biggest thing is I really am glad for where I am," Haliburton said. "I'm thankful for it. The process has sucked, man. There's been good days and bad days. There's days when I sit there and I just keep asking like 'Why is this happening to me?'
"It's hard to understand in this moment. But I understand that it's allowing me to grow in different ways, to grow in my faith, to grow in all these different ways that are good for me."
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