Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Posts Video Dunking in Week 17 of Achilles Injury Rehab

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton took a big step in his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon on Friday by dunking just 17-and-a-half weeks after the initial ailment.

Haliburton suffered the injury in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The two-time All-NBA player had been having a legendary postseason at that point, notably making four game-winning or game-tying buckets in the final five seconds.

Haliburton's Epic Playoff Run

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Haliburton got off to a great start in Game 7 as well with nine points in the first seven minutes, but he suffered a non-contact injury while dribbling late in the first quarter and the score tied at 16. The Thunder won 103-91.

Haliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 season with the injury, but he thankfully appears well on track to return for 2026-27. That would be a welcome sight for the Pacers, who greatly benefitted from his tremendous efforts en route to the team's second-ever NBA Finals appearance.

In the meantime, the Pacers inserted Bennedict Mathurn in the starting lineup. Mathurin had a 36-point, 11-rebound outburst in Game 1, a 141-135 double overtime loss at home to OKC.

The Pacers will look to rebound on Saturday at the Memphis Grizzlies.