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an hour ago
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Trae Young Reacts to Tyrese Haliburton's Injury in Game 7
Trae Young Reacts to Tyrese Haliburton's Injury in Game 7 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Sunday, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Haliburton only played in the first quarter and had to head back to the locker room. The Pacers announced that the two-time All-Star would not return to the game and finished with nine points on 75% shooting from deep. Advertisement Ahead of Game 7, the Pacers' star was part of the injury report with a right calf strain. However, he opted to play the game, similar to his approach in Game 6 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday. Unfortunately for the Pacers, the first quarter for Haliburton was the final time he played this season. Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is defended by Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Davis-Imagn Images After he was injured, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young was emotional on X. He posted about Haliburton's injury and how he felt about it. "🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 Never wanna see that😔" Young posted. Even other stars like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell felt bad for what happened with Haliburton. Advertisement "Prayers up man 🙏🏽," Brunson said. "You never want to see that, prayers up 🙏🏽," Towns posted. "These calf strains ain't no joke man!! Praying for Ty 🙏🏾🙏🏾" Mitchell said. It was an unfortunate injury for the Pacers and Haliburton, as they are one game away from winning an NBA championship. Throughout the entire 2025 NBA playoffs, Indiana was often considered the underdogs. However, they've proved the critics and the doubters wrong, often coming out on top. Young and Haliburton have played 11 games against each other throughout their careers. The Pacers' star has the advantage, with six wins over the Hawks' star. Advertisement Related: Tyrese Haliburton Injury Sparks Speculation of LeBron James' Exit From Lakers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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2 hours ago
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Adam Silver plans to use Artificial Intelligence after the NBA's injury surge: "Ingest all video of every game a player's played in to see if we can detect some pattern"
Adam Silver plans to use Artificial Intelligence after the NBA's injury surge: "Ingest all video of every game a player's played in to see if we can detect some pattern" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Damian Lillard. Jayson Tatum. And most recently, Tyrese Haliburton. Three All-Stars, three different teams, three different playoff moments, all with the same devastating result: a torn Achilles. Advertisement The 2025 NBA Playoffs were supposed to be a celebration of star power, and for the newly crowned champion Oklahoma City Thunder, they absolutely were. But the sour taste left behind by a wave of devastating Achilles injuries made it hard for the rest of the league to fully enjoy the show. Cuts and bruises aren't new to the league, but the sudden surge of this specific problem this season has everyone — from fans and analysts to coaches and executives — asking the same question: What's going on? The repeating injury trend This specific injury, hitting multiple franchise players in the same postseason, has sparked something deeper. And with his top stars dropping one by one, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is refusing to sit with his hands crossed, not trying to dig deeper. He's bringing every resource to the table, including Artificial Intelligence, to try and get ahead of a problem that's becoming far too familiar. Advertisement "We are looking at it. And, in fact, We've already convened a panel of experts before Tyrese's (Haliburton) Achilles rupture. We had seven this year, and we had zero last year, under the exact same circumstances," Silver said, ready to tackle the issue head-on. "The purpose of convening those experts is to try to figure out what's going on." Around the league, the speculation came quickly. Some pointed to sneaker trends, especially the decline of high-top shoes in favor of low-cuts. Others circled back to the NBA's long, physically demanding season, a 100-plus game marathon for the league's best players, many of whom go all-out every night. However, while those theories might offer partial explanations, Silver isn't convinced that volume is the root cause of the problem. "It is interesting, when we look back at the last 10 years, the majority of Achilles injuries happened before the All-Star break, so it's not clear it's the number of games," NBA Commish said. Advertisement Related: Dwyane Wade believes Westbrook is still the OKC GOAT despite Shai's historic season: "We are talking about a player who went and did something, and people said it will never be done again" Can AI help the NBA with this problem? This isn't just some random injury wave the league can brush off, not when the faces of the NBA are the ones going down one by one. Silver knows that if the NBA wants to keep its top talent on the floor, it has to get smarter and has to do it fast. So now, he's turning to tech. Silver believes AI may be the key to uncovering the invisible wear and tear that builds up before an Achilles gives out. The league is already working with data teams to feed full game footage into machine learning systems, hoping to detect some kind of patterns that human eyes may have missed for years. Advertisement "I'm hopeful, by looking at more data, by looking at patterns… This is one area where AI is going to transform so many eras. The ability with AI to ingest all video of every game a player's played in to see if we can detect some pattern that we didn't realize leads to Achilles injuries… We are taking it very seriously," Silver concluded. The NBA's injury problem doesn't have a simple fix. But for the commissioner, that's not an excuse to keep doing things the same way. Silver's willingness to tap into technology shows a league that isn't afraid to evolve — especially when its best players' futures are on the line. With a little help from the "almighty" Computers, maybe the Association can put an end to this ugly trend. Related: ESPN analyst says Ace Bailey was hoping to avoid Utah at all costs: "This was not one of his preferred destinations" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
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3 hours ago
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Tyrese Haliburton Used One Word To Describe How He's Feeling After Injury
Tyrese Haliburton Used One Word To Describe How He's Feeling After Injury originally appeared on Athlon Sports. A day after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles tendon, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton took to social media to express the raw emotion behind his injury and summed it all up with one word: 'shock.' Advertisement Haliburton went down early in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a heartbreaking moment not just for the Pacers, who lost the game 103–91, but for fans who had followed Haliburton's inspiring postseason run. What began as a promising night with three made 3-pointers ended with Haliburton being helped off the court and later ruled out with a torn Achilles. In a deeply personal message posted hours after the injury was confirmed, Haliburton shared how difficult the last 24 hours had been — physically, emotionally and mentally. 'Man. Don't know how to explain it other than shock,' he wrote. 'Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable.' Despite the crushing outcome, Haliburton made it clear that he has no regrets. He played through a calf injury to be part of Game 7 and said he would do it all over again. Advertisement 'I've worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense,' he said. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered an injury during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Terada-Imagn Images During this year's playoffs, Haliburton averaged 17.3 points and 8.6 assists per game and was often the engine behind Indiana's offense. Still, Haliburton isn't giving up. In the same message, he promised to fight through the recovery and return better, on his terms. 'I don't 'have to' go through this, I get to go through this,' he said, quoting a Bible verse that has helped him stay grounded. 'I'm grateful for the road that lies ahead. Watch how I come back from this.' His longtime girlfriend, Jade Jones, shared her own words of encouragement, calling him 'selfless, brave, and strong.' Advertisement While the road ahead is long, the word Haliburton chose — shock — aptly encompasses everything about the moment. Not just the injury, but the weight of watching a dream get cut short in real time. Related: Tyrese Haliburton Wants People To Stop Telling Him One Thing After Injury This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
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5 hours ago
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is Better Than Michael Jordan, Claims Former Bulls Star
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is Better Than Michael Jordan, Claims Former Bulls Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's no denying Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just delivered one of the most impressive seasons in NBA history. The Oklahoma City Thunder star led his team to a championship, outlasting the Indiana Pacers in seven games and capping a year that will be remembered for decades. Advertisement Now, the debate has turned to where Gilgeous-Alexander fits among the game's all-time greats. In doing so, the Thunder guard joined elite company. He became just the fourth player in NBA history to win a scoring title, regular-season MVP, and finals MVP in the same season, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. That rare feat prompted former NBA All-Star Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest, to drop a bold comparison: that at times, SGA is better than Michael Jordan. "People laughed at my quote with I said 'at times' @shaiglalex is better than MJ. Explain this . Shai is 1st ballot and will get more than 3 rings. That statement was originally made during the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Timberwolves. In an interview with Essentially Sports, he expanded on the idea: Advertisement 'I think SGA is at times better than Michael Jordan. At times, when you look at SGA's games, he is the best basketball player that probably touched the front, top and bottom…Every move you ever dreamed of.' Speaking on the podcast "Casuals with Katie Nolan," Sandiford-Artest elaborated: "Michael Jordan's done things nobody has ever done, and it looks so elegant. But SGA, the way he plays the game, through the legs, behind the back, step back, crossover, spins, it's exactly how he wants to play it.' Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderAlonzo Adams-Imagn Images Gilgeous-Alexander, known for his smooth, methodical style and advanced footwork, has quickly risen to the top of the league. His ability to control tempo and get to his spots on the floor has drawn comparisons to past greats, but few expected his name to be mentioned alongside Jordan, let alone ahead of him. Advertisement Sandiford-Artest, a 6-foot-7 forward, played for the Chicago Bulls from 1999 to 2002 before helping Kobe Bryant and the Lakers win the 2010 NBA title. He was an All-Star in 2004 and played for six NBA teams during his career, which spanned from 1999 to 2017. He's perhaps best remembered for the 2004 'Malice at the Palace' brawl, which led to an 86-game suspension. Michael Jordan, of course, remains the gold standard. He was a six-time NBA champion and won finals MVP every time. He also claimed five regular season MVPs and was selected to 14 All-Star games. Jordan finished his career with 32,292 points, averaging 30.1 per game. Whether SGA ever reaches that kind of legacy is still up for debate, but in the eyes of at least one former All-Star, he's already there at times. Related: Kristaps Porzingis Used Two Words to Describe the Celtics After Being Traded Related: Luka Doncic Reportedly Makes Big Change in Physical Appearance This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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6 hours ago
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Thunder Disrespected After Lakers Claim During Offseason
Thunder Disrespected After Lakers Claim During Offseason originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Oklahoma City Thunder just capped off a magical postseason run by winning the NBA Championship. The Thunder had only made one appearance in the NBA Finals before this season's trip, but this one ended in the Thunder's favor, hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in their young history. Advertisement Many believed that the Thunder were the best team in the league, a sentiment that had been held for months. And why not? They finished the regular season third in offensive efficiency and first in defensive efficiency. It also helped that they had the best player in the league on their team in Most Valuable Player award winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) against the Indiana Pacers during the 2025 NBA Adams-Imagn Images Thunder disrespected after Lakers claim during offseason Following the Thunder's win in the NBA Finals, some are already knocking their road to the championship. On Friday's edition of First Take on ESPN, Peter Rosenberg seemingly disrespected the Thunder while talking about how close the Los Angeles Lakers are to contending for a championship. Advertisement "We can all act as if it's impossible that they can get there, but we also just saw the Indiana Pacers take the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games," Rosenberg said. "As great as OKC is, and they are a great team, they were taken to seven games two times throughout the playoffs. "Did anyone realistically think about the Indiana Pacers challenging and making it to a seventh game for the NBA Finals? So, I'm sorry, no. I cannot rule out a LeBron James and Luka Doncic-led Lakers this year." While it's not impossible for a Lakers team starring those two players to make the NBA Finals, it feels unlikely based on what we've seen from them. Top-tier talent is clearly there. However, what makes the Thunder so lethal beyond Gilgeous-Alexander is their depth. Advertisement Their depth is what allows them to play as tenaciously on the defensive end because they always have bodies on the bench that can come in and give them real minutes in big games. Former Lakers guard Alex Caruso is the case and point. While they didn't rely on him for his scoring, he was brought in for his defense, which helped shift games at times. The Thunder return many of this group, and repeating as champions will undoubtedly be on their minds next season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
