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Tyrese Haliburton says he relives his Achilles injury "every day"
It’s been over a year since Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He still thinks about it every day.
In a new interview on the Numbers On The Board podcast, the Indiana Pacers point guard opened up about tearing his Achilles in the biggest game of his career: Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton was driving to the basket in the first quarter of Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, having already scored nine quick points, when went down without contact.
Tyrese Haliburton says he thinks about tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals “every day”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. I relive it every day,” Haliburton said.
“When I strained my calf, I knew it was a possibility. We knew that internally. Kendrick Perkins was going on TV talking about ‘Don’t play.’ Get the f— out of here, what is he talking about ‘Don’t play’? I knew it was a possibility,” he continued.
“In that moment, everyone talks about how it feels like you got kicked. I knew right away, because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in front of me, so I was like, ‘How did he kick me?’ There was a short moment while I was falling where I was like, ‘How did he kick me in the back of my leg?’ And then I was like, ‘Oh s—.’But those emotions were much more, ‘I can’t believe this is happening right now,’ vs. that it happened.”
“Because injuries are a part of the game, and I know I’m going to be fine and I know we’re going to be fine as a group, and life goes on. But it was just like, ‘Not now. Anytime but right now.’ Because everything felt like it was clicking at that moment.”
Tyrese Haliburton on tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the Finals:
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.”
(via @notbpod) pic.twitter.com/3PSASH1Nfd
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 16, 2026
The Pacers, who had pushed the Thunder to a Game 7 as underdogs, lost 103-91 without him. Oklahoma City won the championship. Haliburton missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season recovering from the injury, and the Pacers finished 14th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19-63.