Tyrese Haliburton Talks Pacers' Finals Run, Injury, NBA 2K26 and More in B/R Interview

It would be easy to overlook the Indiana Pacers going into the 2025-26 season. 

After all, Tyrese Haliburton will be sidelined throughout the entirety of the campaign as he recovers from the Achilles injury he suffered during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. And Myles Turner isn't even on the team anymore after joining the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason.

But write them off at your own peril.

Just ask the sidelined point guard himself.

"The proof is in the pudding," Haliburton told Bleacher Report. "It's never worked well for people to write us off in general. I don't think that changes just because I'm not playing. We have a lot of young, hungry guys who have had success the last couple years. 

"That success and chase for excellence is the standard within our organization. Nobody should expect us to lay down and not continue to fight and be the scrappy Pacers we are. I'm excited to watch what we do, and if people are doubting us they are going to have to continue being proven wrong."

His words echo one of the major themes of T.J. McConnell's emotional piece for The Players' Tribune in which the veteran delved into how "devastating" the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was that ended "the best basketball season of my life."

McConnell also said people writing the Pacers off after losing two of their leaders is "the same bulls--t we've always dealt with in Indy—and it's the same exact thing we've had to hear so many times over the last year."

That type of defiance in belief is understandable considering the ride Indiana just went on during its run to the 2025 NBA Finals.

It was one of the rarest of sights in the sports world as the team that ended up losing with the championship on the line was arguably more memorable than the one that won. All the Pacers did was take the basketball world by storm by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks with a combination of up-tempo style, astounding comebacks and dramatic buzzer-beaters all while being overlooked as a true title contender.

They overcame a deficit of seven or more points in the final minute of a game during three different playoff victories, bounced back from 20-point holes against both the Bucks and Cavaliers, and stunned the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with an overtime win after Haliburton put the finishing touches on a 14-point comeback in the last four minutes of regulation with a buzzer-beater.

As if that wasn't enough, they defeated the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals when Haliburton capped off yet another comeback with a shot in the last second.

So what stands out the most when he reflects back on the incredible run?

"The process of getting there," Haliburton said. "The games and those moments were special, but just the time we spent together and to see the narrative shift on all of us as the playoffs went on for the media to actually have to take us seriously and talk about us. And us being excited saying, 'you have to talk about us, you have no choice.' 

"I think that was exciting for us. And just to spend more time together, getting dinners and hanging out on plane rides. We had locker room moments after those big games. Those are mainly what I think about. And really growing as a group was fun for us."

All those moments in the big games put Haliburton further under the spotlight, and the two-time All-Star is now helping NBA 2K26 promote the video game's milestone announcement that WNBA Player Cards will be available for the first time in the MyTEAM mode in the latest edition of the game.

When the game is released Sept. 5 (Aug. 29 for those who pre-order), players will have the opportunity to mix and match lineups featuring NBA and WNBA stars. There will also be a WNBA Domination tier, all of the league's uniforms and home floors, and specifically tailored commentary from Kevin Harlan, Greg Anthony and Stan Van Gundy.

"I'm really excited about it," Haliburton said. "The way our game is growing and how big the WNBA is becoming, not only as a league but with players individually, to be able to integrate them with us is the coolest thing. It's a video game, so I feel like why not? WWE 2K did that this year where they integrated the women's superstars, so I was hoping NBA 2K would as well."

That means Haliburton will have the opportunity to team up in the same virtual backcourt with close friend and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.

That is, if he doesn't bench himself first.

"It's well known the relationship I have with Caitlin Clark and how close we are," he said. "The problem is if I put her in the lineup, I'll probably have to bump myself out of there. I'm excited to put her in the lineup for sure. Napheesa Collier is probably in line to win MVP, she's amazing as well. There are so many people, but those are my two favorite players to watch in the league right now."

Fortunately for Haliburton, he is a facilitator on the court and in 2K, so he could set Clark and Collier up for open looks in the MyTEAM mode.

He will have to play a different type of facilitator role for the Pacers in 2025-26, though, since he will be unavailable because of the injury. That means helping role players McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin from the sidelines and encouraging Pascal Siakam to be the team's go-to option in the clutch moments he was so often counted on during the playoffs.

Haliburton believes his teammates are up to the challenge, and he is also looking forward to Andrew Nembhard assuming some of his previous responsibilities.

"Everyone is going to step up in some way," he said. "I'm excited to see Andrew Nembhard slide into becoming the full-time point guard with me out. Everyone's role grows with me out, I don't think it's a thing where we have to replace me necessarily, but everybody's role increases. … There are a lot of guys, but Andrew is who I'm most excited to watch filling in at my position. I'll be trying to help as much as I can."

Nembhard became more of a household name during Indiana's run to the Finals as he did a little bit of everything while averaging 12.5 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in the playoffs as he shot a sizzling 46.5 percent from deep.

But it was his relentless defense that stood out the most as he was consistently tasked with guarding the opponent's best player and battled with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell.

That also freed Haliburton up to be more dominant on offense, and he responded by delivering one of the most memorable runs in Pacers history.

He cemented his status as a beloved fan favorite in the process and wants Indiana supporters to know he is doing everything he can to return to that form.

"I'm just going to do my best to get back to being who I am," Haliburton said. "That's the biggest thing for me. I'm really working my tail off to get my body right and get back healthy, and I will have a significant amount of time to do that. The goal is to get back to being who I am and beyond that."

Pacers fans surely can't wait to see it, even if it won't be until 2026-27.