INDIANAPOLIS — A booted Tyrese Haliburton watched along in support as the Indiana Pacers Summer League team practiced Friday at the Ascension St. Vincent Center.
The Pacers guard tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He had surgery shortly after and posted a heartfelt message that doubled down on playing through an injury.
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“Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the number of times people will tell me I’m going to “come back stronger,” Haliburton, in part, wrote. “What a cliche lol, this (expletive) sucks. My foot feels like dead weight, fam. But what’s hurting most I think is my mind. Feel like I’m rambling, but I know this is something I’ll look back on when I’m through this, as something I’m proud I fought through. It feels good to let this (expletive) out without y’all seeing the kid ugly cry.”
Haliburton sat on the sidelines and sported a boot that came up to below the kneecap. Summer League coach Isaac Yacob acknowledged Haliburton for taking the time to attend the first two practices and speaking to the players.
The Pacers drafted Taelon Peter in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft. In less than half a month, Peter went from watching the Pacers in the NBA Finals to practicing in front of the team’s star player. It’s an adjustment that’ll take time for a young player who wasn’t sure if he’d get drafted.
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“Something I’ve been working on the past couple of days from two weeks ago, watching the finals and being a huge fan of the NBA, not knowing if it were going to be my thing or not, to being here and seeing people I never thought I’d see in person, it’s special,” Peter said. “But it’s something that I’ll get used to pretty soon.”
Earlier Friday, the Pacers announced their Summer League roster which included second-round picks Kam Jones and Peter.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tyrese Haliburton injury: Pacers star attends Summer League practice