That bombastic noise that roared through the air on June 22, 2025 wasn’t from some undiscovered kraken coming up from the Mariana Trench – it was the collective gasp coming from Indiana Pacers fans as they watched superstar point guard Tyrese Haliburton drop to the court in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2024-25 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a torn right Achilles tendon, and by the look on Haliburton’s face as he tearfully slammed his palm onto the court after going down, he knew it. Over a year later, the former Sacramento Kings guard was all smiles as he put up seven points, six assists and two blocks in 16 minutes during Wednesday’s preseason win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He wants to make some things clear: he’s back, he’s stronger, and he knows what to expect his first year back from his injury thanks to some NBA stars who have been in his position. Haliburton appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" Thursday morning to discuss his comeback to the court and how he plans on handling himself after his recovery. After being asked if he reached out to former Team USA teammates Jayson Tatum or Kevin Durant to ask advice on what to expect as far as how his leg feels and the emotion headed his way as he gets back into the game, Hali grinned.
And I was kind of what I just said, ‘man, I’m playing so fast’ and he was like ‘yeah, trust me bro it feels like that for a little bit but it’ll, like once you get out there a little more it’ll be fine,’” the Iowa State product said. I’m fortunate enough that I have preseason to kind of work out the kinks a little bit.” Tatum wasn’t the only one he spoke with after his preseason return. We talked after the game and before the game too, just seeing where he’s at because obviously I’m a little ahead of him.
Indiana continues their preseason run against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
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