Tyrese Haliburton was one of the shining stars of the NBA playoffs last year. He led the Indiana Pacers to a surprising NBA Finals run before suffering a devastating Achilles tear in the opening minutes of Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was ruled out for the entirety of this season, setting up what should be a massive comeback for the 2026-27 season. However, Haliburton’s recovery process hit a roadblock when he was diagnosed with shingles in late February.
After spending a few weeks away from the team after his initial diagnosis, he returned to the sidelines to support his teammates while they finished out the regular season. On Monday, during the Pacers exit interviews, Haliburton opened up about what he’s been dealing with regarding the viral infection.
“They told me that I would be really itchy, but I wasn’t itchy for the first two weeks, I just had a bad rash,” Haliburton said. “Then once the rash went away, the itching came and it’s been miserable. … I lost part of my eyebrow, my eye is always swollen from itching it. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part it’s bad days.”
Haliburton said that his father also dealt with shingles during the NBA Finals last season, but it was concentrated to his stomach. Haliburton’s affected area has been his face, which has led to him primarily wearing his glasses so he won’t scratch his eyes and face.
“I’m still dealing with it, I’ve been taking unbelievable amounts of medication to try and get rid of it. It hasn’t worked,” Haliburton said. “It’s obviously caused me to gain weight, look a little bigger. That’s been a topic of conversation through social media.”
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox and, per the Mayo Clinic, “isn’t life-threatening, but it can be very painful.” It’s primarily seen in those 50 years and older, though can be found in younger demographics too. Haliburton said he would tell everyone 50 years and older to get the shingles vaccine.
“It’s not been fun, and hopefully it goes away here pretty soon,” Haliburton said. “It’s hard to really tell nerve pain — I’ve been having nerve pain for two months, and in the world of nerve pain for people who have had that before, that’s not very long. I hope it goes away soon, but there’s no way to really know.”
