Health

Tyrese Haliburton gives health update, talks LeBron recruitment, Zubac trade

Indiana Pacers On SI · Jul 21, 2026 02:46 · 3 min read

Tyrese Haliburton Gives Health Update, Talks LeBron Recruitment, Zubac Trade — Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half during game four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tyrese Haliburton says he's feeling the best he has in a long time, shares LeBron James' response to his recruiting attempt, and explains why the Pacers' trade for Ivica Zubac was the right move.

Tyrese Haliburton made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, providing Indiana Pacers fans with encouraging updates on his health while also discussing the team's offseason, his attempt to recruit LeBron James to Indiana, and why he believes the Pacers are positioned for a bounce-back season.

Haliburton's Health

Mar 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Haliburton;s appearance was his health update.

After battlign shingles during his rehabilitation, Haliburton explained that he is nearly completely over the illness. The only lingering symptom is an occasional itchy eye, but otherwise he feels fully recovered.

More importantly for the Pacers, Haliburton said he has lost all of the weight that he gained while dealing with shingles and has since replaced it with muscle as he continues his recovery.

"I'm playing with no restrictions," Haliburton said, "This is the best I've felt in a long time. I feel great."

That statement should be music to Indiana fans' ears after the franchise endured a difficult 2025-26 season without its All-NBA point guard.

LeBron James responded with six laughing emojis

Tyrese — Haliburton and James at Fanatics Fest | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics

Haliburton also revisited one of the offseason's more entertaining storylines -- his attempt to recruit LeBron James to Indiana.

At Fanatics Fest, Haliburton revealed that he had texted James asking if he wanted to come to Indiana. During his appearance with McAfee, however, he corrected the record.

Rather than responding with two laughing emojis, James actually replied with six laughing emojis, drawing laughs from everyone on set.

McAfee immediately jokes that he wanted Haliburton to hand over his phone so he could send another recruiting message directly to James himself. Unfortunately, Haliburton did not have his phone on stage with him.

While the exchange was clearly all in good fun, it added another memorable chapter to Haliburton's ongoing attempts to recruit players to come to play in Indiana.

Haliburton on the Pacers Newest Additions

Haliburton also discussed several of Indiana's offseason additions, beginning with free-agent signing Kelly Oubre Jr.

When asked about Oubre, Haliburton kept his evaluation simple: "He guards. He competes."

Before discussing Oubre's addition, Haliburton spent a few minutes defending Indiana's trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac.

Former Colts defensive back Darius Butler suggested that there will naturally be more pressure on Zubac because Indiana lost the draft pick.

Haliburton didn't necessarily see it that way.

Instead, he argued that had the ping-pong balls bounced in their favor and Indiana had retained its top-four selection, everyone would look at the front offices as "geniuses" for pulling off the move.

He also pointed out that the prospects selected in the 5-7 range were primarly guards -- a position the Pacers simply didn't need.

"We took a gamble and I guess lost because we didn't get the pick, but we got Zu who's one of the best centers in the NBA."

McAfee quickly chimed in, "And we got you back."

Haliburton smiled and responded: "That sounds like a pretty good offseason for the Pacers...if you ask me."

McAfee agreed, "Feels like a great offseason."

Confidence in this Pacers Team

"You should be very confident in this Indiana Pacers team."

That's what Haliburton told McAfee when asked about how much he believes in this team.

Haliburton spent a good portion of the segment he was on reflecting on his Saturday night WWE appearance in New York, where he continued his playful rivalry with Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

hali wwe — hali, brunson, rollins and reigns | WWE

After another entertaining exchange between the two, Haliburton made sure to remind Brunson that he will be back next season.

After a season derailed by injuries and bad luck, Haliburton believes last year was a tough year, but they'll be back. Now that Indiana is healthy, stronger, and surrounded by new addition in Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ivica Zubac, the Pacers believe they're ready to return to contention when the 2026-27 season tips off.