Haliburton, no national TV for his comeback after Achilles injury

16/08/202608:23

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana star is set to return after 16 months out with an Achilles injury, but his comeback game against the Pelicans will only be locally televised.

Tyrese Haliburton was surprised to learn that his NBA comeback after 16 months away will come against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Indiana Pacers point guard discussed his reaction during an appearance on the Numbers on the Board podcast.

“Name any other person you compare to my level of a basketball player, if they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think they’d be on national television? Do you think that game would be at home, if not on national television?” Haliburton said. “When I saw the schedule, I was like, ‘Oh wow!’ Shoutout Trey Murphy II, love my boy, Trey. Love New Orleans. But I was shocked to see that.”

The Pacers will face New Orleans on the road on October 21, with the game only receiving a local TV broadcast. Haliburton is set to return after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite winning only 19 games last season, the worst record in franchise history, Indiana will have 11 nationally televised games in 2026-27. The Pelicans, meanwhile, finished 11th in the Western Conference with 26 wins and will have only two national TV games.