“I’ll be ready to go for Game 7.” That was the promise. After gutting it out on a bad right calf for two games, after enduring a non-stop, 48-hour cycle of hyperbaric chambers and MRIs, Tyrese Haliburton made it clear he was going to be on the court for the biggest game of his life. He had already told the world his mentality: “If I can walk, then I want to play.” It sounded like he wasn’t just ready, but he was a warrior preparing for one last battle.

And for seven minutes, he was brilliant. He came out firing, hitting three deep threes, pouring in nine quick points, and silencing the hostile Oklahoma City crowd. It looked like his sheer force of will was going to be enough. And then, in an instant, the dream shattered. On a simple drive, his leg gave out. It was a non-contact injury, the kind that makes your stomach drop. He pounded the floor in frustration, and as he was carried to the locker room with what ESPN later reported was a suspected Achilles injury, the Pacers’ championship hopes went with him.

The game ended in a devastating 103-91 loss. The season was over. But the most powerful moment of the night, the one that truly defined this Pacers team, happened in the quiet of the locker room afterward. T. J. McConnell, his voice thick with emotion, told the story. He described the team walking back, heartbroken, only to find Haliburton, on a crutch with a towel over his shoulders, waiting for them.

“He could have been in the locker room, feeling sorry for himself, after something like that happened,” McConnell said, still in disbelief. “But he wasn’t. He was up greeting us. A lot of us were hurting from the loss and he was up there consoling us. That’s who Tyrese Haliburton is.”

McConnell elaborated on the moment in his post-game press conference, clearly moved by his teammate’s character. “I mean that’s just who Ty is… to go down like that and be selfless and just continuing to to cheer for us and um even though he can’t play, that just I think that just speaks volumes to who Tyrese Haliburton is, um, one of the greatest human beings I’ve come in contact with, great teammate. Um, obviously hurt, hurting for him, but that’s just who he is.” And it turns out, McConnell isn’t the only one hurting for Hali.

From LeBron’s NSFW tweet to his Dad’s pain, the world reacts to Tyrese Haliburton’s injury

In the aftermath of the gut-wrenching loss, the sports world was reacting not just to the game, but to the character of the man who was supposed to be its hero. The reaction from LeBron James, who had been watching the game, was pretty visceral. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted a one-word, NSFW reaction that perfectly captured the shock and heartbreak everyone was feeling: “F—!” It was a raw response from one of the game’s greatest, a sign of respect for a young star whose moment was so cruelly snatched away.

The pain was most visible on the face of Tyrese’s father, John Haliburton, who was shown in the stands with his head in his hands. It was a human moment that resonated with fans. And it wasn’t the first time John’s passion for his son’s career has been on full display. Earlier in these same playoffs, during the series against the Milwaukee Bucks, John got into a heated verbal altercation with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The exchange led to John being banned from the playoffs before the team and league officials intervened to allow him back for the finals. 

The support poured in from all corners of the sports world. Three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes simply tweeted, “Prayers up, man.” Pacers center Myles Turner told ESPN that seeing the injury was “heartbreaking,” adding, “It’s unfortunate … but we’ve got his back.” Even the opposing coach, Mark Daigneault, was emotional in his post-game comments, not just celebrating his own team’s victory, but acknowledging the tragic circumstances. “You never want to see that,” he said of Haliburton’s injury. “He’s a great player, a great competitor. You just feel for him.”

The final word, however, belonged to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who tried to offer a glimmer of hope in a dark moment. “What happened with Tyrese, just all of our hearts dropped,” he said. “But he will be back.” For a city, a franchise, and a fanbase that just had their hearts ripped out, those words are the only thing they can hold onto.