Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is assisted after an apparent injury following a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went down during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals with what appeared to be a serious injury.

It was the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors played in 2016. And after a great start from both teams, the injury to Haliburton became the top story.

After gamely playing through a strained calf in previous games, he went down with a non-contact injury in immense pain.

Viewers at home likely had flashbacks to Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant, who all were injured under similar circumstances. And the worst that was feared would soon be confirmed. Later in the game, ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters reported that Haliburton’s father confirmed it was indeed an Achilles injury suffered by the star point guard.

The Achilles injury would likely knock Tyrese Haliburton out for next season after leading the Indiana Pacers to the brink of a championship with one of the best clutch performances any sport has seen throughout the postseason.

However, as we learned the extent of Haliburton’s injury, the focus quickly shifted to the multiple replays that ESPN showed of the incident and its aftermath.

By the count of the Awful Announcing staff, there were no less than nine replays of the Haliburton injury throughout the game. The vast majority of them came in the first half with multiple replays in both the first and second quarters. Another replay was shown early in the fourth quarter as well.

The large number of replays drew criticism from fans, who said they had seen more than enough and no longer wished to watch it.

This is admittedly a tough spot for ESPN.

On the one hand, this is a massive injury to a team’s top star in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. When it comes to injuries occurring in championship games or series, it’s one of the most newsworthy events to happen in recent memory. The replays conveyed the shock and magnitude of the injury.

Furthermore, as this is Game 7 of the NBA Finals, millions of casual fans will be watching this game who typically don’t follow any other NBA games throughout the season. They don’t know Tyrese Haliburton, his playing through a calf strain that led to the achilles injury, or what he means to the Indiana Pacers. Some viewers would be in and out of the game or tuning in late.

So, from a purely news perspective, given the importance of the injury and the game, you can understand why ESPN showed what happened. And considering that the injury wasn’t a leg break or anything that would make viewers particularly squeamish or queasy, maybe you could understand the freedom to show multiple replays. However, ESPN did share the news on the scorebug numerous times, which may have been enough for many to have effectively communicated the news.

However, all that being said, it didn’t make it any easier to watch given the immediate pain and agony that was etched on the face of Tyrese Haliburton as he banged his fist on the hardwood floor. Most viewers at home could see what happened and knew right away that it was a really bad injury. With the Thunder slowly pulling away from the Pacers throughout the second half to win their first NBA championship in Oklahoma City, it may have felt like driving the stake even further into the heart of Indiana fans and Haliburton supporters.

It’s a terrible situation all around, and the truth is there was probably no right answer for ESPN in this scenario. As for some of the other aspects of the network’s coverage throughout the Finals, that’s another story.

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