Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton sustained a torn achilles tendon in Sunday night’s NBA finals Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City, ESPN reported on Monday. The recovery time for a basketball player with a torn achilles tendon typically ranges from eight to 10 months.
With five minutes left of the first quarter on Sunday, Haliburton pushed off his right foot to initiate a drive to the basket. But instead of maneuvering past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he fell to the floor in agony. As the Thunder went the other way for a dunk, Haliburton pounded the floor with his fist and was unable to put weight on his injured leg while being escorted to the locker room.
Without Haliburton, the Pacers were outscored 56-43 in the second half as Oklahoma City won the championship with a 103-91 victory.
“I could not imagine that happening in the biggest game of my life,” said Gilgeous-Alexander after the game when asked about Haliburton’s injury. “It is so unfortunate, it is not fair.”
The 25-year-old Haliburton had been playing through a strained right calf, an injury he is believed to have suffered in Indiana’s Game 5 loss at Oklahoma City.
The two-time All-Star averaged 14.0 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds during the NBA finals, and made several clutch shots during his team’s run through the postseason.
Fellow All-Stars Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics are currently recovering from torn achilles. They, too, suffered their injuries during this postseason. Haliburton’s injury also recalled one suffered by Kevin Durant during the NBA finals in 2019 – Durant missed the entire next season.
Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 73 games (all starts) during the regular season. He has career averages of 17.5 points, 8.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 333 games (294 starts) for the Sacramento Kings (2020-22) and Pacers.
