When you tear your Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, you expect the road to recovery to be a grueling, sweat-soaked montage of physical therapy, ice baths, and eventual redemption. What you absolutely do not expect is for your biggest post-injury hurdle to be an illness that sounds like a roofing material and usually targets people double your age. Tyrese Haliburton was thrown an unexpected curveball into his rehab schedule: a severe, face-altering battle with shingles.
The Unseen Opponent: Tyrese Haliburton Battles Shingles
If you thought guarding the league’s most explosive point guards was tough, try battling a virus that decides to set up camp directly on your face. Haliburton was diagnosed with shingles back in late February, right around the All-Star break. For the uninitiated, shingles is caused by the same dormant virus that gave you chickenpox in elementary school. It usually wakes up years later to cause severe nerve pain and blistering rashes.
“This has sucked,” Haliburton said to reporters, delivering the understatement of the century. While his father, John, dealt with a bout of shingles on his stomach during last year’s Finals, Tyrese caught the absolute worst variation. The virus attacked his face, leaving his eye swollen shut, claiming a portion of his right eyebrow as collateral damage, and forcing him to don protective eyeglasses just to stop himself from constantly scratching his own face.
For the first two weeks, it was just a nasty rash. Then, the real misery kicked in: the relentless, agonizing itch. Haliburton described the experience as having far more bad days than good ones, noting that the nerve pain has been relentless.
When Achilles Recovery Takes a Backseat
Before the shingles diagnosis, Tyrese Haliburton was tracking perfectly. He was matching the recovery timeline of Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who suffered a similar Achilles tear earlier that season. Haliburton was gearing up to start five-on-five scrimmages. He was in the zone.
Then came the medication. And the side effects. And the internet trolls. To combat the virus, Haliburton has been taking massive amounts of medication, going through multiple prescription changes, and even trying a Botox injection to calm the nerve pain. None of it has provided a magic fix. Worse yet, the medical cocktail triggered significant weight gain, leaving the 26-year-old’s face looking visibly puffy.
Of course, social media critics were quick to point out that the All-Star guard looked a little bigger. Haliburton, keeping his sense of humor intact, admitted he was “out of shape like crazy” and joked in January about drowning his sorrows in cookies and ice cream. But the reality is far more frustrating. The medication side effects and the sheer discomfort of the illness severely delayed his physical conditioning.
A Tedious Rehab Process and the Road Ahead
Despite dealing with an illness that would make most of us retreat under the covers for six months, Haliburton hasn’t completely isolated himself. Urged on by Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle, he remained a fixture in the locker room, attending film sessions, mentoring younger guys, and sitting on the bench to support his squad as they ground out a tough 19-win season without him.
But what about the leg? You know, the actual devastating sports injury that started this entire saga? Ironically, the Achilles is the least of his worries right now. Haliburton has finally returned to five-on-five action.
“I don’t even think about it anymore, to be honest with you,” Haliburton said regarding his leg. “I feel great. My body feels great. I feel like I’m in a great spot in terms of my leg.”
Will Tyrese Haliburton Be Ready For the Pacers Next Season?
The short answer is yes, but he has a mountain of conditioning ahead of him. The NBA season doesn’t tip off until October, giving him a long, crucial summer to shed the medication weight, rebuild his elite stamina, and wait for the stubborn nerve pain to finally pack its bags.
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