- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
Tyrese Haliburton made his return to NBA action Wednesday, suiting up for the Indiana Pacers in their season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. It marked his first appearance in over a year.
The Pacers guard missed the entire previous season after tearing his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, which Indiana lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.
Haliburton arrived wearing denim and a leather jacket, an homage to Triple H's return from a torn quad in January 2002 at Madison Square Garden. The WWE executive had suffered the injury in May 2001 and came back eight months later. Haliburton's jacket featured a similar stitched look on the back.
Before arriving, Haliburton posted a hype video on Instagram narrated by Triple H. The guard has previously shown his wrestling fandom, wearing custom D-Generation X shoes in a March 2025 contest and hitting a game-winning four-point play in them. He attended the Royal Rumble in Indianapolis in February 2024 and went face-to-face with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks at a WWE event in June 2024.
Source: ESPN - Wed Oct 21, 9:15 PM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).