Tyrese Haliburton's gesture that makes him even more eternal in Indiana

Tyrese Haliburton is about to feel like a basketball player again after a wait of more than 16 months. The Indiana Pacers guard will play this Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in his team's first preseason game, but his return will have a very special component: it will be on the Iowa State court, the university that marked his early years as a player and where he also met his current wife, Jade.

Haliburton has wanted Iowa State students to play a leading role in his return. The Pacers player purchased tickets for the area reserved for students, and the university subsequently organized a drawing to determine who could attend the game. This way, the arena will feature a student section specially set up to welcome the former Cyclones player.

"I'm going to invite all the students, and we will still have the student sections, so I think it will be fun. I don't know if there will be Pacers fans there," Haliburton explained to reporters after Tuesday's practice in Indianapolis.

The franchise itself has encouraged Iowa State fans to turn the game into a real party. The Pacers posted a message on their social media under the slogan "Cyclone Hali," announcing a 'Gold Out' for the game this Wednesday in Ames.

More than 16 months after his injury

The game will have special significance for Haliburton for reasons that go far beyond the preseason. It will be the first time he competes again since suffering an Achilles tendon rupture during the seventh game of the 2025 NBA Finals.

The guard still doesn’t know exactly how much time he will spend on the court against Minnesota, although he intends to play at least the first half of the game. After more than a year working on his recovery, Haliburton will finally have the opportunity to compete in an official game again.

Moreover, his return will take place in a location that is an important part of his personal story. Haliburton played two seasons at Iowa State, from 2018 to 2020, before being selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

His connection to the university has continued long after leaving Ames. During his time as an Iowa State player, he met Jade, who later became his wife. In fact, Haliburton proposed to her on the very Iowa State court when they got engaged.

An idea that Haliburton had in mind for years

The possibility of the Pacers playing a game at Iowa State did not come out of nowhere. Haliburton explained that he had been proposing the idea of organizing a game there for years, and the proposal quickly found support within the franchise.

One of the reasons that facilitated the operation was that the Pacers' general manager, Chad Buchanan, was born in Des Moines, so there is a direct connection between the organization and the state of Iowa.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle explained that the game was initially planned for 2025, but Haliburton's injury forced it to be postponed to this year.

Now, more than a year after that injury that paused his career, Haliburton will have the chance to return precisely in one of the most important places in his life.

“I think it will be fun for everyone. I know there’s no one as passionate about Iowa State as the current students,” the guard assured.

This Wednesday, Ames will not only host a preseason game. It will also be the stage for Haliburton's return to basketball and his reunion with a university that continues to hold a special place in his life.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El gesto de Tyrese Haliburton que lo hace aún más eterno en Indiana