Tyrese Haliburton lamented the Pacers’ disaster lottery result with a sad meme

On a beautiful Mother's Day afternoon at Chicago's Navy Pier, there were many winners from the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. Some who saw the odds fall in their favor and who should feel so hopeful about what they'll be able to do for their team's futures this late June.

The Indiana Pacers, basketball gods help them, are not one of them.

After an unofficial tanking year without an injured Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers were hoping for a surefire young winning player. A prospect who was ready to contribute to a serious title contender when Haliburton presumably returns to play in October. If the Pacers had won at least a top-four pick, their plan would have come together. But because they fell to No. 5 overall, conditions stipulated that they surrender their first draft selection altogether to the L.A. Clippers by virtue of the Ivica Zubac trade.

Woof. After a tough 11 months that began with the franchise player tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which was followed by a season marked by losing and injuries, the Pacers still can't catch a break.

Talk about a disaster in Indianapolis.

In reaction to the bad news, Haliburton took to his X profile to share a quick video indicating his sadness at the Pacers' poor lottery fortune. It features a person playing with a ball in their hands and taking a quick beat before saying, "I lost."

Yes, Tyrese. Yes, you and your team did:

The Pacers should still be among the NBA's best teams as soon as Haliburton is back. If his injury recovery is anything like Jayson Tatum's, Haliburton will probably look like himself in short order, too. Throw in the addition of a disciplined Defensive Player of the Year caliber center like Zubac, who has shown he is also very proficient and efficient as a third or fourth scorer on a good team, and the sky is the limit for these Pacers. I would honestly not be surprised to see them pick up right where they left off in the finals and to see them finish the job this time. They still have the capacity to be that special.