Indian Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton Gets Candid About His Health: "This Has Sucked"
"I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it's bad days."
Published April 16 2026, 12:42 p.m. ET
Ever since the Game 7 NBA Finals in June 2025, fans have been holding out hope that Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will return to the court.
Unfortunately, the point guard tore his right Achilles tendon and was ruled out for the entire 2025-2026 season. Since then, Tyrese has shared updates with fans about his recovery, even making appearances at games to support this team.
And while the Indiana Pacers' roster has undergone significant changes, fans believe the team will return to its former standing as an Eastern Conference contender upon his return.
That said, while Tyrese has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in his recovery, it appears he now has another health battle to overcome, after being diagnosed with shingles in February 2026.
Where does Tyrese Haliburton’s health stand with his shingles diagnosis?
On Monday, April 13, 2026, the 26-year-old opened up to reporters about how he’s dealing with shingles and how it’s affected his day-to-day lifestyle.
"I couldn't even go in front of a camera if I wanted to early, because my eye was basically closed shut," he told reporters. "It was all over my face."
He continued: “They told me that I would be really itchy, and I wasn’t itchy for the first two weeks. I just had a bad rash. And once the rash went away, the itching came, and it has been miserable. Hence why every time you've seen me, I’ve been in glasses just to not touch my face really.”
Per the Mayo Clinic, shingles is “caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox.” The disease is “a viral infection that causes a painful rash that looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso.”
However, the outlet notes that it can occur anywhere on your body.
Interestingly, while many folks hope the singles outbreak will eventually pass, others have been commenting on social media about his weight gain. And on The Pat McAfee Show, he discussed why he has been putting on weight.
"I've lost part of my eyebrow; my eye is always swollen from itching it," he said. "I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it's bad days. So, it has not been any fun."
He revealed that, between switching his medications on multiple occasions, taking a Botox shot to manage the disease, and feeling hungry all of the time, has been a side effect. And while he was bulking at one point, things have shifted to a more puffy appearance.
Given his experience with the disease and witnessing his father, John Haliburton, battle it, Tyrese made it a point to advise individuals over 5o to take care of themselves.
"I would tell anybody over 50 years old to get the [shingles vaccine]," Tyrese said. "This has sucked."
Tyrese Haliburton’s NBA return is unknown due to his injury and the shingles disease.
Unfortunately, while fans were hoping that Tyrese would hit the court in fall 2026, it looks like his return date is unknown.
While tearing your Achilles is a crushing blow for any athlete, due to its affecting long-term loss of speed and its tedious recovery process, shingles is its own battle. Since shingles is a lifelong infection, thanks to chickenpox, anyone can experience an outbreak at any time.
And while shingles is far from life-threatening, an outbreak can cause Tyrese to miss out on games to get the infection under control. Not to mention, since medications used to treat the infection have caused him to put on some extra pounds, he’ll need to not only drop the weight but train his body to be NBA-ready.
We’d like to wish Tyrese all the best with his recovery.