Tyrese Haliburton: Kevin Durant 'is tired of being the Achilles guy'
This isn't a "community" Tyrese Haliburton wants to be part of but he's determined to make the best of the situation.
The Indiana Pacers star said Tuesday on the "Pat McAfee Show" that Kevin Durant visited him during WNBA All-Star weekend to add perspective on how to deal with Achilles injury.
Haliburton blew out his right Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Pacers have said he will not play in the 2025-26 season.
"K.D. actually came to visit me the other day, came to my house," Haliburton said. "It was pretty cool. We sat down for a while."
Haliburton discussed how he, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Damian Lillard have become part of the "Achilles community," all having suffered that injury in the NBA playoffs. He said Durant's perspective helped.
"(K.D.) is tired of being the Achilles guy," Haliburton said.
Durant suffered a similar injury in the 2019 NBA Finals and missed the following season.
"For me it's about getting my mental right," Haliburton said. "I try to figure out things to do."
He said he has been to several Indiana Fever games, is improving his WWE video game skills and that he bought a turntable to learn a few DJ skills.
"When I'm alone, I sit there and think about everything that's happened, and it's kind of like, 'That sucks,'" he said. "I'm going to fight like hell to get back. All I can do is attack that rehab the best I can."
Haliburton is about one month past surgery, and he said on Monday, he put 50% of his body weight on his legs while using crutches. He hopes to be done using his scooter in another couple of months.
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