Indiana Pacers Guard Tyrese Haliburton broke the right Achilles tendon during the loss of 103-91 of the Pacers in game 7 of the NBA finals, according to ESPN and Atlético.
With five minutes in the first quarter, Haliburton tried to drive to the hoop when he collapsed to the ground. Haliburton began hitting the court in agony, apparently already aware of the injury he suffered.
Haliburton entered the game with a right veal tension that suffered in game 5.
“I want to be on the floor, and if I have the ability to, if I can, as I said, if I can walk, I want to be out there,” Haliburton said after game 6. “I just want to be with my brothers to compete.”
The transmission cameras caught Haliburton already in crutches when he greeted his teammates while they left the floor in the defeat on Sunday night.
“What happened with Tyrese, all our hearts fell. But he will return,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, after game 7.
He added: “He is the author of one of the great individual playoff races in the history of the NBA with a dramatic work after a dramatic work.”
Appearing in 23 playoff games, Haliburton averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists for the Pacers during the postseason. He took the team to several unlikely returns, including his dramatic shot of the game at the end of the regulation in game 1 of the East Conference finals, as well as his winning shot of the game with 0.3 seconds remaining in game 1 of the championship.
Haliburton, 25, is under contract with Indiana until 2029.
