“Every Little Progression Is Exciting”: Tyrese Haliburton Details Achilles Recovery

Tyrese Haliburton hasn’t had the summer he envisioned. Instead of preparing for another deep playoff push, the Indiana Pacers guard is navigating the long road back from an Achilles tear suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nearly two months into his rehab, Haliburton is celebrating the small wins—each milestone a reminder of how far he’s come since June.

Tyrese Haliburton is Walking Without Help

Haliburton hosted his youth basketball camp in Wisconsin this week and offered an in-depth look at his recovery.

“I have good days and bad days,” Haliburton said. “When you look back on the year that was and how special it was, that means a lot to me. I had a lot of fun and got to grow myself as a player and person every day, chasing my dream of winning a championship. Obviously we fell short and I’m dealing with rehabbing this right now. But when I am able to get back to 100% the chase continues, so that’s the exciting part for me.”

The 25-year-old said he is now walking without crutches or a scooter, a goal he wanted to achieve before his camp.

“It’s been up and down. I’m finally walking without the use of crutches or a scooter or anything. That’s exciting for me,” Haliburton said. “I wanted to make sure I was able to at least walk a little bit by the time I was able to be here, so that’s special for me. I think every couple weeks is a new achievement, I guess, in terms of my recovery.”

Small Victories for Indiana Pacers Star

Haliburton recently celebrated another step forward: wearing regular shoes again. The Pacers star shared photos of his PUMA sneakers on social media with the caption, “Feels good to have 2 shoes on again.”

He explained the significance of those moments at camp.

“Over the next couple weeks we’ll get closer to me being able to wear shoes full-time without a boot and being able to walk and stuff like that,” Haliburton said. “I have a great medical team behind me that’s really helping me get things done and progressing as well as I can right now. It’s a long process. This injury, to get back to 100%, is usually about a year long. We’re only at week six, week seven now. We still got a lot of time to get there. But every little progression is exciting to me. To be here and be able to walk means a lot for me, and as time goes on, the more I’m able to do is very exciting to me.”

Looking Ahead

While Haliburton won’t return during the 2025–26 season, his optimism about the future is clear. The All-Star guard isn’t dwelling on the timing of his injury—one that cut short Indiana’s championship hopes—but is instead embracing the incremental steps of a long rehab.

That focus is encouraging for the Pacers. Their franchise cornerstone is determined to return stronger, even if the road back requires patience.