Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Emotionally Reacts to 1st NBA Game Since Achilles Tear

It's safe to say that Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will never forget October 7, 2026. 

Haliburton not only made his return to the NBA, but he also did it at his alma mater. 

The Pacers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves at Iowa State. Haliburton purchased tickets for the student section and the university held a lottery for people to attend.

Haliburton spent two years at Iowa State from 2018 to 2020 before being selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. His college years have remained significant to him. He met his now wife, Jade, during his time at Iowa State and proposed to her on Iowa State's court when the two got engaged.

In 16 minutes against the Timberwolves, Haliburton scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with six assists, one steal and two blocks. It was his first NBA game since Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

"It's the first game, but it's got to slow down," Haliburton said Wednesday night. "There was just a lot of adrenaline. I was hyped to be out there, excited, but I just got to slow down a little bit."

Haliburton compared himself to a rookie after the game, but he took solace in the fact that although his body was moving too fast, he felt like he could read the floor at his usual speed.

"It'll happen with time," Haliburton said. "The only way to really replicate that is game reps against other guys. And that's what that was. So really excited about it. There's a ton of improvement that there is to be made on my end and on our team's end, but just excited to be back on the floor."

One of the top players in the NBA, Haliburton had an outstanding 2024-25 campaign for the Pacers. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and made the All-NBA Third Team.

Haliburton is averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in a Pacers uniform. He signed a five-year, $244 million extension with the team in July 2023.

The talented floor general will make $48,924,624 this season, $52,298,736 in 2027-28 and $55,672,848 in 2028-29, the final year of his deal.  

Indiana is expected to start Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac this season. That's a strong starting five on paper. 

Haliburton has career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game in the regular season and 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs. The basketball world can't wait to see Hali play again. 

The Pacers may have won Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder had Haliburton not gotten hurt. It was a cruel turn of events for Indiana. 

However, that's in the past and the Pacers are ready to shock the world again in 2026-27.

Indiana opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pacers added three new players this offseason: Larry Nance Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr. and Braden Smith. 

After making those moves, here is the Pacers' projected 2026-27 rotation, via HoopsHype:

Starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac

Bench: TJ McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Kelly Oubre, Obi Toppin, Jay Huff, Braden Smith, Quenton Jackson, Kobe Brown, Jarace Walker, Larry Nance Jr., Jalen Slawson, Johnny Furphy

Indiana will likely sign Haliburton to another extension next offseason if he stays healthy this upcoming season and plays like his old self. 

Nothing can be ruled out in today's NBA, especially after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, but all signs point toward Haliburton spending the rest of his NBA career with the Pacers.

Haliburton made ESPN's top 20 NBA players list after missing all of last season. The guard is ranked No. 19. He's one spot ahead of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and one spot behind Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James.