Tyrese Haliburton Posts 'Spongebob' Meme to Describe Watching Tatum, Murray Play After Injuries

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is clearly feeling left out as he watches Jayson Tatum and Dejounte Murray return to play after recovering from Achilles injuries.

In a post on X, Haliburton used the iconic Spongebob Squarepants meme of Squidward staring out the window of his house watching Spongebob and Patrick run around while captioning it: "This how I be watching Dejounte and JT hoop."

There were seven known Achilles injuries suffered during the 2025-26 NBA season. Haliburton and Tatum were the highest-profile players to go down because their injuries occurred in the postseason. Murray tore his Achilles in January 2025.

Murray returned to game action for the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 24, followed by Tatum with the Boston Celtics on March 6.

Tatum's return is remarkable because of how quickly it happened. His first game was less than 10 months to the day that he had surgery (May 13).

Haliburton, who tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 22, was ruled out for the 2025-26 season almost immediately after having surgery.