On June 22, 2025, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center. This injury caused Haliburton to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season. Haliburton returned to action after over a year on Oct. 7, 2026 during a Pacers preseason game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He missed the next game, but came back to play in the third preseason game on Wednesday. This game happened to be played in OKC at the Paycom Center — the scene of the crime, if you will. Understandably, there were some emotions heading into the arena on Wednesday for Haliburton since the last time he stepped foot on the court in Oklahoma City, his life changed.
Yet, he didn't let these horrible memories stop him from playing amazing basketball. Haliburton dominated on the court on Wednesday night, scoring 24 points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. He made four three-pointers in that span.
It's safe to say Haliburton wasn't bothered by any ghosts haunting him at the Paycom Center, which surprised him. "I thought I would feel maybe a little more emotion coming in here. I don't know if sadness or scared or whatever, but once the ball jumped up, just felt like normal.
The shoot-around felt normal," Haliburton told The Oklahoman's Jordan Davis after the game. "It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be." Haliburton admitted that he wanted to play on Wednesday after missing the second preseason game with an ankle issue so that he could "rip the Band-Aid off" of coming to Oklahoma City to not have to worry about those emotions during the season. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was proud of his player for overcoming some inner battles to play incredibly on the court.
"Tyrese played great," Carlisle said after the game. "Coming back in here and being undaunted by anything that's happened in the past, he really came in and played his game." Be ready to see some prime Haliburton basketball again this season. Haliburton won't return to Oklahoma City again until Feb. 5, which is nice knowing he got the anticipation out of the way early.
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