Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton shared details Monday about his ongoing battle with shingles that began in February.
“I’ve lost part of my eyebrow. My eye is always swollen from itching it,” Haliburton told reporters at his end-of-season press conference, including WISH-TV’s Josh Bode. “I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it’s bad days. It has not been any fun.
“I’m still honestly dealing with it. 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 and look a little bigger.”
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash, and it can occur anywhere on the body. Haliburton added that he’s also experienced nerve pain for the last two months.
The two-time All-Star missed the 2025-26 campaign while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered during last year’s NBA Finals. He rejoined the Pacers for the final weeks of the season after stepping away from the team following his diagnosis.
Despite the challenges brought on by the disease, Haliburton remains confident that he’ll be ready to start next season.
“Obviously, I just started playing five-on-five, and I’m out of shape like crazy, like I’ve never been before, but that’s going to come with me playing,” Haliburton said. “I really have no worries, especially once I get off this medication. That’s the biggest thing.”
He added, “I’ve been gaining weight all season, but it’s been good weight. I feel like it’s been good. Well, now it hasn’t. I credit a lot of that to the medication in all honesty, so once I get off that and start running a little more, I have no worries. I got a long summer ahead of me.”
Indiana finished with a 19-63 record this year, the second-worst mark in the league behind only the Washington Wizards.
