Tyrese Haliburton’s 2025 NBA season with the Indiana Pacers could probably be turned into a blockbuster movie.
The Pacers entered the season with low expectations and struggled in the first few months, before going on an impressive 34-14 run to finish as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton then led Indiana to series victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks on the way to the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, the point guard was not himself against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a calf injury, until Game 7, when he was on fire.
Haliburton then pulled up with an Achilles injury in the second quarter and exited the game in devastation.
In that moment, he really wanted to replicate one of Kobe Bryant’s most iconic moments, but “there was no chance” he could.
When Haliburton went down with his Achilles problem, he remembered that Kobe Bryant once took free throws and walked off the court after suffering the same injury.
He hoped to take inspiration from Bryant and walk to the locker room himself, but he lacked the strength in his legs.
Haliburton now has even more admiration for his idol and thinks that what he did was truly “unbelievable.”
He told Pat McAfee, “I will tell you, when I was on the ground after I got hurt, I was like, ‘Let me walk. Kobe walked. I’m walking.’
“So when I got up and went to take a step, there was no chance. I was like, ‘Don’t touch me, I’m going to walk,’ and when I went to move my leg, it was like dead weight on the end of my leg.
“The fact that Kobe shot a free throw and walked off is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable.
“Certain guys have walked off, but when I took a step, that’s when the guys threw a towel over me, because my face was just [shocked]. I couldn’t believe what was actually happening in the moment.”
Haliburton is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season as he recovers from his Achilles injury.
However, the 25-year-old still expects to contribute to the Pacers in other ways, such as encouraging his teammates on the sidelines and helping the coaches behind the scenes.
“I haven’t really thought about what the season will call for,” Haliburton added. “I probably won’t be traveling as much earlier in the year, depending on the stage of rehab I’m in.
“I still want to be around the guys as much as possible. I want to take this time to keep growing my mind for the game and being around Coach [Rick] Carlisle, sitting in coach meetings, and talking to those guys.
“At the same time, I feel like I have a pretty decent basketball mind myself, so just trying to help the guys in the best way I can.
“I’m going to be on the bench once I can walk, standing up, celebrating and cheering for the guys. I’ll still be there for the majority of things.”
