The Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals last year came to a screeching halt when the team lost Tyrese Haliburton with a torn Achilles in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season as he watched Indiana only win 19 games and fall to 14th in the Eastern Conference. But as he revs up to play in 2026–27, Haliburton admitted that it’s not the physical injury that he’s worried about going into next year.
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It’s an illness he’s been battling.
He said Monday he has been dealing with shingles, which has caused him to gain weight, lose part of his right eyebrow and forced him to wear glasses to avoid scratching his swollen eye.
“First of all, I’d tell anybody over 50 years old to get the shot,” Haliburton said. “It’s been miserable. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part it’s been bad days.
“I’ve been taking unbelievable amounts of medication to try to get rid of it. It hasn’t worked. It’s not been fun, and hopefully it goes away soon. It’s hard to really tell with nerve pain, but I’ve been dealing now with nerve pain for two months and in the world of nerve pain, that’s not very long. Hopefully, it goes away soon.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 1 in 3 Americans will get shingles. The illness, if severe enough, can cause vision loss and nerve pain.
Haliburton said he was on a similar recovery timeline as Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who also suffered a torn Achilles in the playoffs last year. Tatum returned to the Celtics in March and has provided the boost Boston needed to be seen as championship contenders.
Haliburton said he has “no worries” about getting back into playing shape once he’s off the medication.
“I’m out of shape like crazy, like I never have been before,” Haliburton said. “I’ve changed my medication a bunch of times. I’ve gotten a Botox injection I thought would help, it hasn’t really helped. I’ve done everything, it just hasn’t worked yet. But I’m confident it goes away soon.”
The Pacers will likely have a top lottery pick in the draft. Adding another young superstar to the Haliburton-led team would be a blessing in disguise for Indiana as they look to get back on top of the conference next season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
