Tyrese Haliburton’s dream NBA Finals Game 7 start quickly turned into a nightmare as the Pacers star exited the winner-take-all title game with under five minutes to play in the first quarter with a serious right leg injury. The fear is Haliburton, who was playing through a calf strain for the last two games, tore his Achilles tendon. Haliburton’s father, John, confirmed to ESPN that his son suffered an Achilles injury. The team called it a “right lower leg injury” and said Haliburton would not return against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA fans have become all too familiar in these playoffs with how a torn Achilles looks. Haliburton went down, was immediately in pain and looked like he knew it was a serious injury. Here’s the play in its entirety:
Haliburton came out on fire with three 3-pointers in the first quarter and looked to be on his way to a huge Game 7. Instead it was cut short seven minutes in, with Haliburton pounding his fist into the floor, yelling and crying. He knew the severity right away.
Haliburton suffered the right calf strain in Game 5 on Monday, and ever since Kevin Durant tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals after initially sustaining a calf strain earlier in the playoffs, people have made the connection between the two injuries.
Haliburton, for what it’s worth, addressed the risks of playing through the calf strain ahead of Thursday’s Game 6. Here’s what he told the Indy Star:
“I just had to hear that it was OK,” Haliburton said in the Pacers’ locker room in pre-game. “That’s all I really had to hear, honestly. I know the risks, I know everything that comes with it. I just had to hear it was OK.”
Haliburton was asked if he heard that there is not risk of further injury.
“No, I didn’t hear that,” Haliburton said. “No.”
Haliburton could become the third All-Star to tear his Achilles in these playoffs. Bucks star Damian Lillard did so in the first round, and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics went down in the second round. Both Lillard and Tatum will miss most or all of the 2025-26 season.
Haliburton is a two-time All-Star and All-NBA selection. He was averaging 17.7 points and 9.0 assists per game in the playoffs entering Sunday’s season finale and came up clutch multiple times. Haliburton hit four game-winning baskets in these playoffs, including a Game 1 buzzer-beating jumper against the Thunder.
CBS Sports will update this story as more information becomes available.
