Popular sports commentator Skip Bayless faced a lot of criticism for some of his tweets before and after Tyrese Haliburton’s horrific injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Barely four minutes before Haliburton went down with the injury, Bayless insinuated that the Pacers planted an “injury excuse” before Game 6 to take the pressure off of him.
However, after Haliburton went down screaming in pain, Bayless acknowledged that the Pacers guard’s injury was legitimate.
Effects of Tyrese Haliburton’s Injury
The Pacers guard was off to a rollicking start before his injury, making 3-of-4 from deep to record nine points in a hurry. Many felt that he was primed for a monster game in the biggest game of his life. To the Pacers’ credit, they didn’t stop fighting even after their floor general and point guard limped off the court.
Indiana would take a 48-47 lead into the halftime break, riding on steady performances by T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. Ultimately, Hali’s injury proved too much of a setback to overcome, as the Pacers suffered a 103-91 loss to the Thunder, the 2025 NBA champions.
After the game, players and coaches from both teams admitted that Hali’s injury sucked the air out of the Paycom Center.
“What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, via NBA.com. “But he will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time, and I believe he’ll make a full recovery.”
Pacers Could Be Without Their Star
Pacers forward Obi Toppin, who finished with zero points in 20 minutes, claimed that Haliburton’s injury affected his performance.
“We needed Ty out there,” said Toppin. “It sucked the soul out of us. I ain’t going to say out of everybody. But I don’t feel like I played good because I was thinking about it the whole day and I felt like it was my fault.”
McConnell, who tried his best to keep the Pacers afloat, said it was difficult for him and his teammates to recover mentally.
“When it happened, I think a lot of us were shaken up,” he said, via NBA.com. “It’s hard to [set that aside] when you see your guy go down like that and have to move on right away and finish the game, especially when it’s that early.
“We came back at halftime, and we were all giving him a hug and telling him we support him and we’ll continue to support him throughout his rehab process.”
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was heartbroken for his opponent
“Yeah it was sad,” he said, via SportsCenter. “I couldn’t imagine playing in the biggest game of my life. Playing for everything I’ve ever dreamed of. The highest stage. Game 7 of the NBA Finals and something unfortunate like that happens. It’s unfair. I feel bad for him. I pray for him. Wish him the best of luck. He’s a hell of a player.”
“His future is super bright. He can do whatever he wants in this league. And they’ll be a really good team for a really long time.”
According to ESPN’s Lisa Salters, Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury and is expected to undergo surgery. As such, he could potentially miss the entire 2025-26 season.
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