Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton gave a candid update on his recovery process, revealing that his return to the court will not come until well into 2026.
“I think it’ll be 15 months until I play my next game,” Haliburton said on IMPAULSIVE, via HoopsHype, outlining the long rehabilitation ahead following his torn right Achilles tendon in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The 25-year-old star described the grind of his daily recovery routine, comparing it to “Groundhog Day every single day. Doing the same [__], same lifts, all those same things.”
Haliburton also opened up about the mental strain of playing through injuries prior to his Achilles rupture. “I strained my hamstring a couple years ago,” he recalled. “And it was the same year I needed to play 65 games to get my supermax. So I was rushing to get back, like: ‘I need—I’m making this money.’ That was probably the most mentally draining. But this? This is a whole other level, bro.”
The All-NBA guard revealed that despite advice from close friends and mentors, he refused to sit out during the Finals. “I met with the doctor. He said, ‘In the regular season, I would tell you to sit two to three weeks, but it’s the Finals.’ And I’m like, ‘What the [__]? You think I’m going to sit down?’ I had some close friends, family, and mentors in my life call me after Game 5 and say: ‘Hey, shut it down.’”
When asked if he regrets ignoring that advice, Haliburton was firm. “No. Hell no. Hell no,” he said. “I’ll be honest—I called KD after I got my MRI after Game 5. I said, ‘Bro, do you regret playing in the game you tore [your Achilles]?’ He said, ‘No, not at all.’ He said, ‘You never—’ I was like, ‘Alright.’ Yeah, I wasn’t going to switch anyway, so I’m glad he said that. It made me feel a little bit better. But no, I don’t regret it, bro.”
Looking forward, Haliburton has found ways to stay engaged during his long layoff. “A lot of journaling—just writing stuff down, getting thoughts out. All those things have definitely been good,” he explained. “But yeah, just trying to think, like: ‘Bro, what color shoes am I going to wear when I get back? What’s my social media strategy going to be? What’s the promo going to look like?’ All those things have been fun to think about.”
Haliburton, who helped lead Indiana to its first Finals appearance since 2000, averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists this past season. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team and played a central role in the Pacers’ postseason run before his injury in Game 7 against Oklahoma City.
His absence will sideline him for the entire 2025–26 season, with the Pacers expected to build around their young core while awaiting his eventual return.
