The NBA schedule was rolled out this week, and not everyone was happy with how it looked.
One of those people? Indiana Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton.
It’s kind of hard to believe, but the last time we saw Haliburton in action was in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, when he tore the Achilles tendon in his right leg, and the Pacers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That injury forced the former Iowa State Cyclone — who was one of the biggest stars of those playoffs — to sit out the entire 2025-26 season, but now he’s ready for action.
And where will that return happen?
On the road… in New Orleans… and not on national TV.
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“Name any other person that you compare to my level of a basketball player, wherever you have me ranked. If they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think that game would be on national television?” Haliburton asked on the “Number on the Board” podcast.
“Do you think that game would be at home, if not on national television?” he continued. “Do you think that that game would be at New Orleans?”
Alright, for starters, Tyrese, prepare to get booed in New Orleans…
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But he has a point.
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It’s hard to make everyone happy when scheduling 82 games for each of the league’s 30 teams, but the highly anticipated return of a player who missed an entire season after being one of the big stories the season before seems like it should be a priority.
Obviously, the league’s priorities are elsewhere. There’s a reason LeBron and the 76ers will head to Madison Square Garden to face the defending champion Knicks on the first night of the season.
It might seem a bit much, but I can get why Haliburton feels that he and the Pacers may have been slighted on this one.
