Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton shared details of his shingles diagnosis during the team's exit interviews on Monday. Diagnosed in late February, he described the condition as miserable, with persistent itching, nerve pain and visible effects on his face. Haliburton remains sidelined from an earlier Achilles injury but returned to support his teammates.
Tyrese Haliburton, who led the Pacers to the NBA Finals last season before tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, faced another setback with a shingles diagnosis in late February. The viral infection, caused by the chickenpox virus, kept him away from the team for weeks. He returned to the sidelines as the regular season concluded, wearing glasses to protect his eyes from scratching amid facial symptoms including a rash and lost part of an eyebrow. His eye remains swollen from itching, he said during Monday's exit interviews. Haliburton called the experience miserable, noting initial rash followed by intense itching. He has endured nerve pain for two months, mostly bad days despite good ones occasionally. His father suffered shingles on his stomach during last season's Finals, but Haliburton's facial outbreak has been particularly challenging. 'I've been taking unbelievable amounts of medication to try to get rid of it. It hasn't worked,' Haliburton said. 'It's obviously caused me to gain weight... That's been a topic of conversation through social media.' The condition, while not life-threatening, can be very painful, according to the Mayo Clinic. Haliburton recommended the shingles vaccine for those 50 and older. He hopes symptoms resolve soon, though nerve pain timelines remain uncertain.