Tyrese Haliburton had one of the most eventful calendar years of his basketball life recently.
He was a member of the United States Olympic men’s basketball team that brought home gold in the Summer of 2024.
He led the Indiana Pacers to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000, all in 12 months.
But Haliburton faced relentless trolling for his limited playing time in the Summer Olympics, and fought to overcome those struggles.
To make matters worse, in the first quarter of the pivotal Game 7 of the NBA Finals, he tore his Achilles tendon, unable to help the Pacers fend off the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton actively navigated the ups and downs of the 2024-2025 NBA season, recently sharing his struggles with mental health during the challenging year.
Haliburton’s Struggle With Mental Health
In an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Haliburton spoke about what it was like coming back from the Olympics feeling devalued and injured heading into his third full season with the Indiana Pacers.
“‘I was in a dark place.’ The social media clowning Haliburton took for his limited role in USA Basketball’s gold medal–winning run had taken a toll on him,” wrote Mannix.
“His body was banged up going into training camp and, Haliburton says, ‘My joy for basketball just wasn’t there.’ His shooting numbers cratered. The irrational confidence he once played with was gone.”
The Pacers brought in a director of sports psychology and team wellness, hiring Dr. Jaimie Rubin as the team’s psychologist.
Not just for Haliburton’s sake, but for the entire team to sit down and speak with them if need be.
“And I’m just such a guy who, basketball, I love the game…I am just one of those guys, and [the joy] just wasn’t there,” Haliburton told Mannix.
“It just took me to come out and say, ‘I know you guys are doing your best to look out for me, try to have conversations about basketball, but I’m just not O.K. in life, and I need to tell you guys that just so I can speak through that and let’s work through what is going to be the best route for me.’”
Haliburton’s Resounding Turnaround
After starting the season in the wrong headspace, Haliburton was a different player after the All-Star break.
The former Iowa State star was averaging 17.8 points and 8.5 assists per game, well below his normal averages to start the 2024-25 season.
After All-Star weekend in San Francisco, Haliburton lit the league on fire, with 20.6 points, 11 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 53.3% from the floor and 43.9% from three-point range, leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed.
Right before the postseason began, The Athletic dropped its yearly player-voted poll that included who they thought was the NBA’s most overrated player.
To make Haliburton’s season even worse, he was named the most overrated.
But the former 12th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft didn’t flinch and used the motivation to fuel one of the greatest playoff runs we’ve ever seen.
Haliburton had ice in his veins throughout the 2025 playoffs.
He hit clutch shot after clutch shot in each round, propelling Indiana to thrilling victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Of course, the story doesn’t have a happy ending, as Haliburton’s Game 7 injury wiped away any hope of what could’ve been the Pacers’ first-ever NBA championship.
While Indiana’s superstar is expected to miss most of the 2025-26 season recovering, you would be hard-pressed to find a basketball fan who doesn’t believe Haliburton and his Pacers will be back.
“And I don’t think I’ll ever be over [Game 7], if I’m being honest,” Haliburton said. “I’ll never be fully over it and just be able to move on. It’s really hard, but the plan and the goal in life is to get right back there and obviously reach the mountaintop.”
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