Tyrese Haliburton Explains Weight Gain, Living with Shingles in New Video After Trending Photo

Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said Monday that a medication he's taking for shingles has caused him to gain weight over the past few months.

"I'm going on eight weeks of face shingles right now and haven't been able to get rid of it," he said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. "I've switched meds like three times and I got a Botox injection. None of it has helped. And [one of the side effects] of the new meds is that I'm always hungry, and weight gain. So it's making me gain weight. And the problem is, when I did LeBron James' Mind the Game podcast, I said, 'I'm the heaviest I've been right now. Bulking. I'm strong, lifting all the time. This is good.' And then face shingles hit me. So now the bulking has turned into, I'm just bigger for no reason. So now they're killing me on social media. I've seen I'm being called Tyrese Haliburger."

Haliburton also elaborated further about his face shingles while speaking to reporters Monday:

"I've lost part of my eyebrow," he said. "My eye is always swollen from itching it. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it's bad days. So, it has not been any fun. I'm still honestly dealing with it."

The good news is that Haliburton is in a good place with his Achilles recovery, the injury that cost him the entire 2025-26 season.

"We're attacking it, man," he told McAfee. "I feel really good. It's like, when I'm running or playing I don't even think about it anymore. I know when I'm playing and I get done, I'm like, 'Damn, I'm still a step behind.' But I feel good. I don't think about it anymore. I'm doing everything, 5-on-5, playing full go, running, doing cardio, everything honestly. So seeing Jayson Tatum have so much success [since making his return from the same Achilles injury], Dejounte Murray also came back, seeing those guys have so much success has been awesome. Jayson and I talk pretty regularly, so I'm excited to see his run throughout the playoffs."

Haliburton, 26, was obviously missed for a Pacers team that went from an NBA Finals appearance in the 2024-25 season to a 19-63 record this year and 14 percent odds to win the draft lottery and earn the top overall pick.

When last we saw Haliburton, he was averaging 17.3 points, 8.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals through 23 playoff games as Indiana made a shocking run to the NBA Finals, where they fell in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That Game 7 was marred by Haliburton's injury, costing him the entire 2025-26 season.

That would have been challenging for anyone. Add a rough case of shingles on top of it, and Haliburton has faced enormous adversity over the past year.