Social media can be cruel and unforgiving, and people turn on you quickly. When we last saw Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton prior to his injury in the 2025 playoffs, he was on top of the NBA world, having led his Pacers team to a crushing defeat of the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tyrese Haliburton Was Clowned On Social Media For Weight During Achilles Recovery & Compared To Jayson Tatum
On his road to recovery, Haliburton says he’s encountered many medical setbacks that should have some fans feeling ashamed of themselves. There were fans criticizing Haliburton for the time he needed to recover by comparing his process to Boston Celtics star Jayson Taum who returned after 298 days and is playing like an All-Star again, with the Boston Celtics positioned to run the East and return to the NBA Finals.
Haliburton Reveals That Weight Gain Caused By Medicine for Shingles
Haliburton opened up on the multiple challenges he’s been facing on his road to recovery, that he hasn’t shared with anyone until now. His battle with shingles, which he attributes to the weight gain too, that everyone is discussing too. He’s even lost an eyebrow. Haliburton says the medication is causing the weight gain, which he described as “miserable,” per Indiana Pacers beatwriter Dustin Dopirak. He said the illness left him out of shape and he’s still recovering.
“I’ve been taking unbelievable amounts of medication to try to get rid of it. It hasn’t worked. It’s obviously caused me to gain weight…That’s been a topic of conversation through social media,” he said.
“Jayson and me talk pretty regularly, so I’m excited to see his run throughout the playoffs. Seeing him have so much success definitely makes me excited for when I come back.”
Fans Chimed In, Reacting To The News That Tyrese Haliburton Has Been Fighting Shingles
Fans seem to change their tunes immediately, from clowning Haliburton for looking a bit large around the gut, to giving him respect for even attempting to rehab through such problems.
“Haliburton just completed his first 5 on 5. He’s weeks away, if not longer, from being able to meaningfully contribute. This is more impressive for Tatum than a drag to Hali,” said one fan, whose profile and tag claim he is an MD.
“It is a reflection of how aggressive and speedy Tatum’s recovery process was, not how slow Tyrese’s is. They were going to sit him the whole season just to be safe,” said another fan
“Man, that is brutal… shingles is no joke at all. The fact Tyrese Haliburton has been hooping through nerve pain for TWO months?? Different level of toughness,” another praised.
“Respect for pushing through, but health gotta come first heal up, Hali. The league’s better when you’re right,” one fan said.
There were some fans who were unrelenting in their attack on Haliburton’s weight.
“His career is cooked bruh this dude don’t even look like an nba player no more,”
“theres literally no excuse for it lmao tatum had the same injury a month prior and he still managed to stay in shape,” said another critical fan on X.
Tyrese Haliburton Doesn’t Think About Injury
“I don’t even think about it anymore… I’m not really all that concerned at all. People have been asking me, ‘Are you going right more than you should?’ I’m like, ‘Listen, I don’t go left anyway,” Hali told reporters.
Haliburton will be back and just as effective. And yes, Tatum’s return is reminiscent of Adrian “Purple Jesus” Peterson’s return from two catastrophic knee surgeries in 2011. In less than 10 months after surgery, Peterson was not only back on the field, but threatening the all-time rushing record, finishing the season with 2,097 yards rushing, just 8 yards short of Dickerson’s record.
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So shingles aside, Haliburton seems to be in a great frame of mind for a big comeback, whenever that may be.
