Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, left, drives ahead of Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Williams Jr. (5) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
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Sometimes people don’t pay attention to health issues until they show up in sports headlines, and that may be the case with the NBA’s Tyrese Haliburton, who recently revealed his battle with shingles.
When Haliburton was diagnosed with shingles in February, he had already been recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the last game of the NBA Finals in June 2025. He is hoping to play next season.
When most people hear “shingles,” they think of older adults. So when a 26-year-old elite athlete like Haliburton describes months of pain, facial swelling, vision issues and lingering fatigue, it naturally raises questions: how does this happen, and what does recovery look like?
About one in three U.S. adults will have shingles at some point. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox: the varicella-zoster virus. After someone has chickenpox — often as a child — the virus doesn’t go away. It stays dormant in the body, sometimes for decades. When it reactivates, it causes shingles.
That reactivation usually occurs in older people, but it can also happen to anyone whose immune system is stressed or temporarily weakened. That includes:
The physical and mental strain of Haliburton’s intense rehabilitation could have made him more vulnerable than his age alone would suggest.
Shingles isn’t just a rash. It’s a nerve infection. People who have had shingles describe symptoms like:
About 10% to 18% of people who get shingles experience extreme nerve pain, which can continue months or even years after being diagnosed. When shingles affects the face — as it did in Haliburton’s case — it can be especially disruptive. It can involve the eye (a condition called herpes zoster ophthalmicus), leading to swelling, vision issues, and visible changes like eyebrow hair loss.
Even after the rash fades, the nerve irritation can continue. Not everyone develops nerve pain, but the risk increases when the initial infection is severe, the face or eyes are involved and treatment is delayed.
Haliburton has described having “good days and bad days,” which is typical. The encouraging part of his update is also typical for most people — gradual improvement. Most people see the rash resolve in two to four weeks, experience lingering discomfort that fades over time, and regain full function, especially if they are otherwise healthy.
For an athlete, the interruption adds another set of challenges. In Haliburton’s case, it caused him to lose conditioning time, disrupted his rehab, and caused side effects like weight gain. He said recently that he doesn’t think about his leg injury anymore — his main focus now is recovering from shingles.
The Shingrix vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing shingles and the condition’s most common complications.
Haliburton has said, “I would tell anybody over 50 to get the vaccine. This has sucked.” That aligns with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also encourages vaccination for adults 19 or older who have weakened immune symptoms.
Cases like Haliburton’s don’t change the overall guidance, but they do highlight something important: Shingles isn’t just an “older adult issue.” It’s a dormant virus that can surface under the right conditions.
For most younger people, the risk is low. But the experience — when it happens — can be painful and disruptive.
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