Tyrese Haliburton Returns to Court in Preseason Debut After Achilles Injury

Jamal CollierOct 7, 2026, 11:19 PM ET

AMES, Iowa — Tyrese Haliburton made his long-awaited return to the basketball court on Wednesday night, participating in the Indiana Pacers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Iowa State. The All-Star guard, who had been sidelined for over 16 months due to a torn Achilles tendon, played 16 minutes in the game, which the Pacers won 123-112.

Haliburton scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, contributing six assists, one steal, and two blocks during his limited playing time. After the game, he admitted that the speed of play felt overwhelming initially, attributing it to the adrenaline of returning to competitive action.

“It’s the first game, but it’s got to slow down,” Haliburton said. “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.”

Comparing himself to a rookie, Haliburton found solace in the fact that despite his body moving too fast, he could still read the floor at his usual pace. He emphasized that improvement would come with more game repetitions.

“It’ll happen with time,” he noted. “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.”

Haliburton’s last NBA appearance was over 400 days ago, when he suffered the Achilles injury during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The anticipation for his return was heightened by the special setting at Iowa State, his alma mater where he played from 2018 to 2020. The game was originally scheduled for the 2025 preseason but was postponed due to his injury.

To create a college game atmosphere, Haliburton purchased the student section at both ends of Hilton Coliseum, allowing students free access on a first-come, first-served basis. This led to long lines forming hours before tipoff, with some fans waiting since the previous night.

“It’s the loudest preseason game I’ve ever been a part of,” Haliburton said. “But I had a lot of fun, a lot of special memories I’ve made here, and that just adds to it.”

Haliburton played all his minutes in the first half, but as he sat on the bench during the fourth quarter, fans chanted, “We want Hali.” He jokingly pointed to his feet, wearing sandals and socks instead of his game shoes, indicating he was done for the night. When the chant shifted to “Put your shoes on,” Haliburton laughed and declined, stating, “Hell no,” and emphasizing the importance of following the team’s process.

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