Haliburton Discloses Shingles Hindering Achilles Recovery

Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton disclosed on Monday that a persistent case of facial shingles has complicated his recovery from a torn right Achilles tendon, overshadowing what was otherwise a promising offseason return to the court.

Haliburton suffered the Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals in June, a moment that ended the Pacers' championship run against the Oklahoma City Thunder and sidelined him for the entire 2025-2026 season. Team officials announced last July that the two-time All-Star would miss the year to focus on rehabilitation. The Pacers struggled without him, finishing with a 19-63 record and placing second-to-last in the Eastern Conference amid additional injuries to starters and key players.

While Haliburton expressed confidence in his leg's healing – noting it tracked closely with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum's recovery from a similar injury last May – the shingles diagnosis has proven more frustrating. The viral infection, which reactivates the chickenpox virus dormant in the nerves, emerged about eight weeks ago and has resisted treatment. Haliburton described it starting as a rash that evolved into...