Tyrese Haliburton Explains Weight Gain After New "Haliburger" Nickname

It’s been a tough 10 months for Tyrese Haliburton.

He’s still sidelined after tearing his Achilles during the 2025 Finals, and since his Indiana Pacers won only 19 games this season, there’s no playoff berth in the cards.

On top of that, Haliburton is the subject of weight-gain jokes and being called Haliburger after he was spotted courtside in his street clothes, noticeably less slim than he was a year ago.

He has admitted to “drowning my sorrows in cookies and ice cream,” but he’s no Zion Williamson; instead of blaming it on good eats, it’s his recent shingles diagnosis. While most people get a rash on their chest, his has been front and center, taking over his face.

“I couldn’t even go in front of a camera if I wanted to because my eye was basically closed shut. It was all over my face,” Haliburton revealed.

He even resorts to wearing sunglasses so he doesn’t scratch his irritated face too much, calling it “miserable.”

“I’ve lost part of my eyebrow. My eye is always swollen from itching it,” he adds. “I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it’s bad days. So it has not been any fun.”

And trying to fight the rash is where his newfound chubbiness comes in.

“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, and so that’s been a topic of conversation through social media and stuff, but what can you do?”

On top of the weight gain, he said he’s been suffering from nerve pain for two months and “hopes it goes away soon.”

Back in January, he told LeBron James‘ Mind the Game podcast that he was tipping the scales at 210, a 30-pound weight gain as compared to clocking in at 180 on Game 7 day.

Hali led the Pacers through the Eastern Conference and forced a Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. While off to a hot start—three 3-pointers in the first quarter—he went down with an Achilles tear, and the Pacers announced that he’d be out for the entire following season.

See social media’s reaction to Haliburton’s weight gain below.