Tyrese Haliburton suffered the most devastating injury in sports at the most devastating time possible, tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He’s been in recovery since last June, but is seen regularly on the Pacers’ sideline as Indiana’s season marches on without the franchise point guard. It hasn’t gone very well record-wise; the Pacers entered Tuesday at 11-36, good for 14th in the East.
Haliburton’s rehab has been progressing as expected from all appearances, though, which is far more important for Indy’s long-term success. That doesn't mean it’s been easy.
Speaking to LeBron James on the Lakers superstar’s Mind The Game podcast, Haliburton opened up about the difficulty of recovering from the serious injury.
“The process has sucked, man,” Haliburton admitted. “There’s been good days, bad days. There’s days where I sit there and I just keep asking, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ It’s hard for me to understand in this moment. But I understand it’s allowing me to grow in different ways.”
Athletes who suffered similar injuries have shared the mental aspect is oftentimes the toughest part of rehab, and it would seem Haliburton is fighting that battle. However, the star point guard added a more positive update, sharing his body feels “really good” at this point in the recovery process.
“I’m approaching week 31 here, so almost going on eight months,” Haliburton told James. “I feel really good. My body feels really good. Just started playing 3-on-3, 4-on-4, full court... I gotta give myself some grace, understand it’s going to take some time, but the biggest thing is I really am glad for where I am. I’m thankful for it.”
Haliburton is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season with his injury, but he is clearly making progress. Once he starts practicing 5-on-5 scenarios Pacers fans will get very excited, even if his next appearance in a uniform likely won’t be until October. Keeping the spirits high is part of the process, too.
The Pacers are certainly looking forward to the moment Haliburton returns. The roster has performed quite poorly without their star conductor leading the offense and a brutal injury bug hasn’t helped. It’ll probably lead to a high lottery pick, which is a boon for the long-term contention status of the franchise, but doesn’t make the Pacers any more watchable right now.
No matter what happens on the floor Haliburton will continue his rehab process. So far, so good there— for the most part.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Gets Brutally Honest About Achilles Rehab on LeBron James’s Podcast.
