The Oklahoma City Thunder capped an extraordinary season by clinching their first NBA championship since relocating from Seattle and their second title for the franchise (as Seattle SuperSonics) since 1979.
They dismantled the Indiana Pacers 103–91 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Although it was a night of celebrations for the OKC, it was gloomy for the Indiana Pacers, who not only lost the finals but also watched their floor general, Tyrese Haliburton, suffer an Achilles tear.
Patrick Beverley, LeBron James, Jalen Brunson & More Send Prayers As Tyrese Haliburton Suffers Achilles Tear
Moments after Tyrese Haliburton collapsed with his right leg buckling early in the first quarter, EuroCup MVP Patrick Beverley took to X to sum up the collective shock.
The clip was shared on X by the official account of Pat Bev Pod for “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” where Beverley could be seen extremely shocked and screaming “No!” multiple times as he tried to fathom Haliburton’s injury.
In his post caption, Beverly wrote, “The whole hoop community felt that one.”
The whole hoop community felt that one pic.twitter.com/qh3GkA2zvs
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) June 23, 2025
Haliburton’s night turned tragic with just 4:55 left of the first quarter in Game 7. The All-Star point guard collapsed, clutching his right leg after sprinting back on defense. Medical personnel attended to him on the court as the Thunder star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rushed to check Haliburton, showing true sportsmanship.
The Pacers star aggravated his lingering calf injury in Game 5, scoring just four points. Despite the worsening pain, he played in both Games 5 and 6, finishing with 14 points in limited minutes in the latter.
Meanwhile, Haliburton’s injury united the Hoop community as stars like LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, along with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart from the New York Knicks, tweeted on X, praying for the Pacers guard’s recovery.
“Them calf strains are nothing to play with. The next thing if not healed right is always Achilles. Man I feel bad for bro!!” Thomas wrote on X.
“You never want to see that, prayers up,” Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks tweeted.
You never want to see that, prayers up
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) June 23, 2025
In the immediate aftermath, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle admitted to Associated Press, “All of our hearts dropped. But he will be back,” as he described the team’s collective panic when their on-court architect went down.
Additionally, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared prayers and well-wishes, while fans of both teams paused their celebration to express hope for Haliburton’s full recovery.
Pacers Face Massive Loss While Thunder Emerge as 2025 NBA Champions
Haliburton was seen screaming in pain and in tears, pounding the hardwood before being helped to the locker room.
An initial diagnosis of a calf strain was later clarified by his father, John Haliburton, who confirmed the guard had suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The injury is expected to sideline him for 9–12 months, putting his availability for next season at risk.
Before leaving the game, Haliburton had scored nine points in seven minutes. Despite the emotional blow of losing their floor general, the Pacers battled hard against the Oklahoma City Thunder, taking a 48–47 lead into halftime. However, the Thunder flipped the script in the third quarter with a 34–20 run and ultimately handed Indiana a 103–91 loss
Tyrese Haliburton on crutches greeting his teammates pic.twitter.com/a3xhHFeqgf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2025
Despite being unable to walk, Haliburton showed up like a true leader to support his teammates after the massive championship loss. Pacers star T. J. McConnell called Haliburton “the greatest” for showing up for his team no matter what.
“That’s who he is as a person, a teammate. He put his ego aside constantly. He could have been in the locker room feeling sorry for himself after something like that happened, but he wasn’t. He was up greeting us. … That’s who Tyrese Haliburton is. He’s just the greatest, man,” McConnell said.
For now, Haliburton’s rehabilitation timeline remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the Thunder will bask in the glory of their historic win.
