Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was prepared to spend this past NBA season in the shadows, fighting his way back from a torn right Achilles tendon. He never anticipated the long journey back would take a detour because of a bout with shingles.
‘It’s been miserable’
On Monday, one day after the Pacers completed a 19-win season without their two-time All-Star ever suiting up, Haliburton told reporters that while he is ready to return from the injury, it’s the illness that he will contend with this offseason. It has caused him to gain weight, lose part of his right eyebrow and forced him to wear eyeglasses 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.”
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Haliburton said his Achilles recovery was tracking similarly to Jayson Tatum’s until the shingles diagnosis hit. He was injured in June during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Tatum has already returned to game action this season and is performing well for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Haliburton, meanwhile, only returned to five-on-five workouts last week.
“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.”
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Despite the difficult season, Haliburton has no concerns about his lower right leg.
“Once I get off that (medication) and start running a little more, I have no worries,” Haliburton said. “I’ve got a long summer ahead of me — we’re only in April and the season doesn’t start till October. So I don’t really have any concerns. I can’t wait till I get out there and play and compete with my guys.”
