In a devastating turn of events, Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton exited in the first quarter of his team's eventual Game 7 NBA Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with an Achilles injury. The injury robbed Haliburton, who emerged as one of the league's best postseason performers with his late-game heroics for the Pacers, of the opportunity to help lead his team to the finish line.
Despite the injury, Haliburton remained in the locker room to cheer on Indiana, who entered halftime leading the Thunder by one point. And even though Haliburton had to be feeling a whole host of emotions after the tough loss, he was still there to greet every one of his teammates as they headed past him in the tunnel.
Tyrese Haliburton on crutches greeting his teammates 🥺 pic.twitter.com/a3xhHFeqgf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2025
Now that's leadership. Unfortunately, the Pacers' improbable playoff run didn't end the way Haliburton or his teammates wanted. But the team should hold its head high, not only for its incredible resilience through adversity in the postseason, but also for how it battled in the wake of Haliburton's injury.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Injured Tyrese Haliburton Embraced Every Pacers Teammate After NBA Finals Loss.
