Among the most powerful visual of Game 7 didn’t come when the confetti fell or when the final buzzer sounded to end the NBA Finals.
It came in the first quarter, when Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton collapsed in a heap and pounded the hardwood in agony — and all of Indiana held its breath.
Haliburton got injured in the same spot on the same court from Game 5.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2025
For the Pacers, the heartbreak wasn’t just about the 103-91 Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder — it was seeing the player who brought them to the NBA’s grandest stage fall before the story could reach its climax.
[ALSO READ: Thunder overwhelm Pacers in Game 7 to win first-ever NBA championship]
“What happened with Tyrese — all of our hearts dropped,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle admitted in the post-game press conference.
"What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped... He authored one of the great individual Playoff runs in the history of the NBA." 🗣?
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 23, 2025
Rick Carlisle sends best wishes to Tyrese Haliburton while expressing pride for the run Hali & the Pacers had this postseason 🙏 pic.twitter.com/eK83EtHfAv
Haliburton had been playing through a right calf strain but got a strong start to Game 7 for the Pacers. However, that only last minutes as injury ended his season.
Haliburton was helped off the court after going down with an apparent leg injury.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 23, 2025
(via @espn)
The team officially listed it as a lower right leg injury, but Haliburton’s father, John, confirmed what many feared — a right torn Achilles.
John Haliburton was emotional watching Tyrese leave Game 7 with an injury.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 23, 2025
Still, Carlisle remained hopeful, putting his faith on the star that hit so many clutch shots to push the Pacers to the NBA Finals.
“He will be back,” the veteran coach said. “I don't have any medical information on what may or may not have happened. But he'll be back in time. I believe he'll make a full recovery.”
Coach Carlisle believes Hali will make a full recovery 💛
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 23, 2025
It was a cruel twist for one of the breakout stars of this postseason — a player who came of age in real time over the last two months.
Before Game 7, Haliburton averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in the playoffs — a run marked by clutch heroics from the opening round through the Finals.
[ALSO READ: LIST: Tyrese Haliburton and the five epic Indiana Pacers 2025 playoff comebacks so far]
“He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play,” Carlisle said. “It’s just something that no one’s ever seen.”
"He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA, with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one’s ever seen."
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 23, 2025
Coach Carlisle on Tyrese Haliburton's 2025 playoff run.
Thunder star and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who approached Haliburton as he lay on the floor, later said his “heart dropped.”
“I couldn’t imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s not fair. But competition isn’t fair sometimes.”
"Hell of a player. Future is bright. That team is gonna be really good for a long time. Impressive team, impressive player."
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
SGA showing love to Haliburton 💯
Though Haliburton never returned to the court, he remained in the locker room, urging his teammates on. After the game, he stood on crutches, waiting at the tunnel to embrace each one.
💔 for Indiana. pic.twitter.com/NZRMw4R2Uc
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 23, 2025
“That’s just who Ty is,” T.J. McConnell, who ended up with 16 markers off the bench, spoke to his teammate.
He continued: “To go down like that and still be selfless, cheering for us even though he couldn’t play — that just speaks volumes about who Tyrese Haliburton is. One of the greatest human beings I’ve come in contact with. A great teammate.”
“He was in the locker room talking to everyone. He’s going through a tough time, and he still looked out for us. It just shows his character. He’s one of the big reasons I’m here, and he made it super fun for me to be here,” Pascal Siakam added.
Remarkably, Indiana led at halftime, 48-47, despite Haliburton’s absence. But the Thunder took control in the third, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 to seize the game — and the championship.
Still, Indiana’s future is bright.
The core of Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin and others pushed a 68-win OKC team to the brink. And at the center of it all — when healthy — remains Haliburton, without question.
“He did it as one of 17,” Carlisle said. “As great a player as he is, it’s always a team thing with him. That’s the beautiful part. So our hearts go out to him.”
And so does the basketball world.
