Tyrese Haliburton Reveals Toll of Ailments, Weighs In on SGA vs. Wembanyama MVP Race

The Pacers guard had a lot to say on the Amazon pregame show

Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the first quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tyrese Haliburton recently appeared on the NBA on Prime pregame show and offered insight into both his recent health scare and the league’s MVP race.

The Indiana Pacers guard opened up about his battle with shingles, describing the experience as both unexpected and difficult to manage.

When asked about the recovery process, Haliburton did not hold back.

"It has been so awful."

Tyrese Haliburton recounts how tough it was to recover from shingles. pic.twitter.com/BZa1hEaUXS

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) March 28, 2026

“It has been so awful,” Haliburton said. “I was on vacation — coach Rick Carlisle gave me a couple extra days because I didn’t really get a long summer with the injury in the Finals. On day two, I had this crazy headache and didn’t know what was going on. It just never went away.”

Haliburton explained that what initially felt like migraines quickly escalated into something more serious.

“I was supposed to meet the team in D.C., but I flew back to Indy because I knew I had to see a doctor,” he said. “We had CT [scans] scheduled and thought it was migraines. The doctor looked at me for five minutes and said, ‘Oh my God, you have shingles.’ He told me, ‘This is going to suck.’”

The symptoms lingered for weeks.

“I had a huge rash on my face for about two to three weeks, and then that went away. Now it’s just been itching and stuff. You can see I’m kind of missing part of my eyebrow now. It’s been no fun.”

Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NBA on Amazon studio analyst Dirk Nowitzki during the NBA Cup semifinals at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki lightened the moment with a joke, saying he thought the eyebrow was a style choice — a nod to former guard Nick Van Exel.

Haliburton laughed off the comment.

“Nah,” he said. “But we’re getting to the tail end, so we’re getting there.”

Haliburton’s MVP Pick: Shai Over Wembanyama

Dec 23, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The conversation then shifted to the MVP race, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama have emerged as two of the league’s most compelling candidates.

When asked who he would vote for, Haliburton made his stance clear.

“If I had a vote, it would for sure go to Shai for back-to-back,” Haliburton said. “I think what Wemby is doing in San Antonio is amazing, so I don’t want to take away from that. I see the campaign for him, and it’s well deserved — but I would definitely vote for Shai.”

Haliburton on MVP Race

While acknowledging Wembanyama’s historic impact, Haliburton ultimately sided with the consistency and dominance of Gilgeous-Alexander, reinforcing just how tight this year’s MVP race has become.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.