NBA: Haliburton after surgery: "I'd do it again"

Moments after undergoing surgery to repair the Achilles tendon in his right leg, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton wrote a lengthy post on social media site X, in which he communicated that by playing Game 7 of the Finals injured, he did the right thing.

"And honestly, right now, with the torn Achilles tendon and all, I have no regrets . I would do it again and again, to fight for this city and for my brothers. For the chance to do something special," Haliburton wrote.

Haliburton injured his right calf early in the NBA Finals, but did not miss any games.

Even with the player visibly limited in his movement, the Pacers rebounded from back-to-back losses in Games 4 and 5 to win Game 6 at home and force Sunday's decider in Oklahoma City.

Haliburton got off to a blistering start in Game 7, shooting 3 of 4 from long range, helping the Pacers keep pace with the Thunder in the first half of the first quarter.

However, with the score at 18-16 in Oklahoma's favor with 4:55 left in the first quarter, after planting his right foot while trying to beat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Haliburton suddenly collapsed to the ground in pain.

That's how the Pacers star finished his seventh game of the NBA Finals, after just seven minutes .

Because of these injuries, Haliburton is likely to miss an extended period in 2025-26, and there's no guarantee he'll be able to play next season.

"My journey to where I am today was no accident; I've worked hard every day to excel. And I will continue to do so," he wrote in the message.

"The most important thing about all of this is that I'm grateful . I'm grateful for every experience that has brought me here. I'm grateful for all the love from the basketball world," he said.

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