Tyrese Haliburton believes the spate of Achilles injuries affecting players across the NBA is simply a matter of bad luck.
Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals as the Indiana Pacers were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He is one of several big names that are likely to miss the entire 2025-26 season due to an Achilles tear.
The Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard – who rejoined the Portland Trail Blazers after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks – are also not expected to suit up before 2026-27.
But during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on Tuesday, Haliburton argued there is no overarching cause for the injuries.
"There's a notion when guys get injured, or when this has happened so many times, everybody thinks that they have the answer to why this is happening," Haliburton said.
"Everybody thinks we play too many games, we play too many minutes... all those things could be true, but I don't think that is what's causing these injuries.
"I think injuries are just bad luck sometimes and that's just what happened. That's just what happens in sports."
Haliburton had been diagnosed with a calf strain after Game 5 of the NBA Finals, only to play the next game and score 14 points in a series-levelling win for Indiana.
"After Game 6, I was like, 'It's done, it's gone, the adrenaline is going to get to me, I'm going to be good,'" Haliburton recalled.
"I go to Game 7, I feel nothing. I feel great going into the game. I think that's why I had a great start to the game. My body felt great. Then obviously, that happens in the end."
The Pacers missed the playoffs in each of Haliburton's first three seasons but have posted winning records in the last two campaigns, going 47-35 in 2023-24 and 50-32 in 2024-25.
While they will be significantly weakened by Haliburton's absence in 2025-26, he plans to spend the downtime learning in order to return as a better player.
"I think I want to take this time to keep growing my mind for the game, be around coach [Rick] Carlisle. Sit in on coaches' meetings," he said.
"I feel like I have a pretty decent basketball mind myself. So I'm just trying to help the guys as best as I can. I'm going to be on the bench as soon as I can walk."
