Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Discusses Kevin Durant Call After Achilles Injury on Video
Few people in sports history understand weighing the risk and reward that comes with playing in the NBA Finals with a calf injury better than Kevin Durant, and the future Hall of Famer is exactly who Tyrese Haliburton called when making his own decision.
When he was with the Golden State Warriors, Durant dealt with a calf injury in the playoffs before taking the court in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. The worst-case scenario unfolded, and he ended up rupturing his Achilles and missing the next season.
Haliburton was dealing with a calf injury as the Indiana Pacers pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 of the NBA Finals but took the court in that decisive contest and tore his own Achilles.
"I called KD after I got my MRI from Game 5 and I said, 'do you regret playing in the game you tore it?' And he said, 'no, not at all,'" Haliburton said in a discussion with Logan Paul (12:20 mark).
"I wasn't going to switch anyway, so I'm glad you said that. It makes me feel a little better. I don't regret it at all."
It is anything but surprising that Haliburton took the court. After all, the Pacers were one victory away from finishing their incredible run through the playoffs with a championship, which would have been the first NBA title in franchise history.
Haliburton would have cemented himself as an Indiana legend forever and could have very well taken home the NBA Finals MVP.
Every NBA player starts a new season with visions of winning the title, and he was as close as he has ever been to realizing that dream. Unfortunately for him and the Pacers, things did not go according to plan and he suffered the injury early in the game.
Indiana stayed within striking distance throughout much of the game, but it was eventually too much to overcome without its star player leading the way.
That means he will miss the 2025-26 season as well, but his latest comments made it clear he would make the same decision again.
