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NBA Players Send Words of Encouragement for Tyrese Haliburton After Game 7 Injury

Haliburton was ruled out after he went down with a right lower leg injury in the first quarter.

Blake Silverman

Indiana Pacers guard Haliburton walks back to the team bench during the NBA Finals
Indiana Pacers guard Haliburton walks back to the team bench during the NBA Finals / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The highly anticipated Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder got off to a devastating start when Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton exited the game in the first quarter with a scary non-contact injury. Indiana quickly ruled Haliburton out for the rest of the game that will decide this season's NBA champion.

He was hurt when he tried to drive off his right foot and fell to the ground in an effort to drive past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Once Haliburton went down, he pounded the hardwood in pain as the Pacers' training staff and his teammates gathered around before he was helped off the floor.

The NBA world was absolutely crushed at the gut-wrenching start to the final game of the season. An outpouring of love and support quickly spread on the internet from basketball personalities and fans. NBA players, including LeBron James, quickly reacted to the difficult scene too.

Here's what the stars around the league had to say immediately after Haliburton went down with an injury, which his father, John, confirmed was an Achilles injury via the ABC broadcast.

Such a horrible way for Haliburton's season and spectacular postseason to end—an ending nobody wanted to see.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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