Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton broke down in tears during a post-game interview after his long-awaited return to the NBA.
Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game the Pacers would go on to lose.
After suffering the injury, Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 NBA season while recovering from his injury.
Now, after 486 days of NBA game action on the sidelines, Haliburton finally returned to the court on Wednesday night during the Pacers’ season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, a game the Pacers won 123-120 after a fourth-quarter comeback, with Haliburton scoring 23 points and 12 assists in his return to the association.
After the game, Haliburton was interviewed, and he broke down in tears, as the emotional moment clearly got to him.
Tyrese Haliburton Breaks Down in Tears
Watch the video below of Haliburton’s emotional post-game interview after the Pacers beat the Pelicans 123-120 on opening night.
“It means a lot to be back out here… I’m just really thankful to be back out there,” Haliburton said while holding back tears.
So good to have you back, 0 💙
Pacers Back to Their Winning Ways
With Haliburton out the entire season last year, the Pacers went from being one game away from winning the NBA Championship for the first time in franchise history to missing out on the postseason entirely.
With Haliburton back in the team’s lineup, though, the Pacers are expected to once again be a playoff team this year.
While their season opener against the Pelicans wasn’t exactly a flawless performance, the Pacers ultimately pulled out a hard-fought win, and that’s the only thing that matters to Haliburton, who made it clear how proud he was of his team to pull off the clutch victory.
“It’s coming along well. We’ve got a lot to pick up. The second quarter wasn’t good, but we’re battle-tested, so we finished this game the right way. Really proud of this group,” Haliburton said.
With Haliburton back running the point for the Pacers this season, look for the Pacers to once again contend in an Eastern Conference that looks very strong this year.
Tyrese Haliburton Breaks Down in Tears After Return to Pacers