Tyrese Haliburton details how shingles delayed Achilles rehab with Pacers
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton explained how shingles became an unexpected setback during his recovery from an Achilles injury.
Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has had a tough go this year. Not only has he been rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon suffered early in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, he also contracted shingles in February and spent some time away from the team. When speaking with reporters Monday, April 13, Haliburton revealed that the medication he has been taking for the shingles diagnosis has led to weight gain and being out of shape, thus delaying his progress on the Achilles.
"This has sucked," Haliburton said. "My dad had it during the Finals on his stomach; a lot of people get it there, but mine has been on my face, so I couldn’t even go in front of a camera if I wanted to, earlier, because my eye was basically closed shut and it was all over my face. " Haliburton added that he didn’t feel itchiness for the first two weeks, but that he had a bad rash.
"But then when the rash went away, the itching came," he continued. "It’s been miserable. " Haliburton was speaking to reporters for his final interview before the team departed for the offseason.
Indiana struggled significantly without Haliburton and also faced several other key injuries early in the season. The Pacers finished the season with a 19-63 record, which was second-worst in the NBA. The Pacers had good reason to underperform, as a midseason trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that brought Ivica Zubac resulted in Indiana’s 2026 first-round draft pick being protected for picks No.