The atmosphere at Paycom Center was electric on Sunday night as the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder battled in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
But just 4 minutes and 55 seconds into the first quarter, the crowd fell silent as Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton crumpled to the floor, immediately grabbing his right leg in obvious distress.
The non-contact injury, which occurred as Haliburton attempted to change direction while chasing a loose ball, sent shockwaves through the basketball world, not just because of its timing in the decisive game, but because of an unsettling pattern that fans quickly noticed.
Tyrese Haliburton Goes Down, Sparking Viral Reactions
Haliburton, who had been battling a right calf strain since Game 5, went down without any contact from Thunder defenders. The 25-year-old All-Star immediately began punching the floor in frustration, unable to put any weight on his right leg as teammates and trainers rushed to his aid. He was helped to the locker room, his face buried in towels, as the gravity of the situation became apparent.
While the Pacers initially announced it as a “lower leg injury,” the severity became clearer when John Haliburton, Tyrese’s father, confirmed to ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters that his son had suffered an Achilles injury. The diagnosis was particularly devastating given that Haliburton had been playing through pain to help lead Indiana to its first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years.
What transformed this individual tragedy into a league-wide talking point was a disturbing coincidence that social media users quickly identified: Haliburton became the third All-Star wearing jersey number 0 to suffer an Achilles tear during the 2024-25 season, joining Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard in an unprecedented pattern.
Every player who tore their Achilles these playoffs wore number 0.
That jersey is cursed. pic.twitter.com/FYDkg79PAL
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) June 23, 2025
The statistical anomaly immediately went viral across NBA Twitter. Fans began dissecting every aspect of the coincidence, with many expressing genuine concern about what some called the “number 0 curse.” The reaction was swift and widespread, with the hashtag #0IsCursed trending within minutes of Haliburton’s injury.
“#0 is cursed,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter), capturing the sentiment of thousands of fans who couldn’t believe the pattern they were witnessing.
Another fan posted simply, “They all wear 0 wtf,” expressing the disbelief that swept through the basketball community as they realized the connection between the three injured stars.
The conversation quickly evolved beyond just the jersey numbers, with some fans attempting to find other commonalities between the injuries. Several users began speculating that modern shoe design might be a contributing factor, particularly the trend toward low-top basketball shoes that have become increasingly popular among NBA players.
Every Achilles injury I’ve seen is in LOW TOPS! Really feel like these weak ass shoes being put out recently is a big part of all the injuries. https://t.co/h4nXUM0X7A
— E-Baby (@noengl1sh) June 23, 2025
The shoe theory gained traction as fans began analyzing footage of all three injuries, though sports medicine experts would likely caution against drawing such conclusions without proper study. Still, the emotional response from fans was understandable given the severity of the injuries and their impact on the league.
One particularly passionate fan added, “We retiring the Number 0 after this or what we doing? F**KKKK,” expressing both frustration and a half-serious suggestion that perhaps the league should consider the jersey number genuinely cursed.
The timing of these injuries made the pattern even more notable. Damian Lillard’s injury occurred on April 27, 2025, during Game 4 of the first round against these same Indiana Pacers, adding another layer of irony to the situation.
Jayson Tatum’s devastating injury came on May 12, 2025, during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, effectively ending the Celtics’ championship defense.
Now Haliburton’s injury in the NBA Finals completed a grim trifecta that has removed three of the league’s brightest stars from action.
The NBA has seen no shortage of devastating Achilles injuries throughout its history. Legends like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins all saw their careers dramatically altered by the injury.
But never before have three All-Stars wearing the same jersey number suffered the same catastrophic injury in a single season, making the 2024-25 campaign one of the most unusual in league history.
Haliburton’s Rise as Indiana’s Franchise Cornerstone
The injury represented a crushing blow not just to the Pacers’ championship hopes, but to one of the NBA’s most exciting young stars. Since arriving in Indiana via a blockbuster trade from Sacramento in February 2022, Haliburton had transformed from promising youngster to franchise cornerstone.
The Pacers completely rebuilt their offensive system around his unique playmaking abilities, and he rewarded their faith by developing into one of the league’s elite point guards.
By age 25, Haliburton had already accumulated an impressive résumé: two All-Star selections, an All-NBA Third Team honor, and he had shattered numerous franchise assist records. His ability to control tempo, find teammates in impossible situations, and knock down clutch shots made him the perfect leader for a young Pacers team that exceeded all expectations this season.
The 2025 playoffs had been Haliburton’s coming-out party on the national stage. His postseason run included several moments that will live forever in Pacers lore.
This include a game-winning three-pointer against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the first round, another clutch shot to defeat Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals, and his iconic choke gesture directed at New York Knicks fans in Madison Square Garden, a direct homage to Pacers legend Reggie Miller’s famous taunt from the 1990s.
Perhaps his most impressive performance came in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, where Haliburton recorded one of the most statistically perfect games in NBA playoff history: 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists with zero turnovers. It marked the first time since the NBA began tracking turnovers in 1977-78 that a player had reached those statistical benchmarks without a single giveaway in a playoff game.
His NBA Finals debut had continued that excellence. In Game 1 against the Thunder, Haliburton hit a pull-up jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to give Indiana a stunning road victory, capping a 15-point fourth-quarter comeback. It was the latest into a Finals game that a team had taken its first lead since the NBA began tracking such data in 1971, and it announced to the basketball world that Haliburton had arrived as a true superstar.
Throughout the playoffs, ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst had been effusive in his praise of Haliburton’s clutch gene, at one point calling his late-game heroics part of an exceptional run of clutch shooting. The young guard had seemingly saved his best basketball for the biggest moments, making his injury in Game 7 all the more heartbreaking for Pacers fans who had waited 25 years to see their team back on basketball’s biggest stage.
“Tyrese Haliburton is unequivocally having the greatest run of clutch shooting we have seen in the history of the sport.”
—@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/tAKohgjQsp
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 6, 2025
Now, Haliburton faces months of rehabilitation and an uncertain return timeline. History suggests that recovery from an Achilles rupture typically requires 9-12 months, meaning the Pacers’ floor general could miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season.
For a player whose game relies heavily on change of pace and quick-twitch movements, the injury represents a significant challenge to overcome.
As the basketball world processes yet another devastating injury to a star player, the eerie coincidence of the jersey number 0 has added an extra layer of intrigue to an already tragic situation.
Whether one believes in curses or simply chalks it up to unfortunate coincidence, the fact remains that three of the NBA’s brightest stars, all wearing the same number, have seen their seasons end in the worst possible way.
For Haliburton, the Pacers, and basketball fans everywhere, Sunday night’s injury serves as another painful reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in professional sports.
