Tyrese Haliburton has a long road to recovery after tearing his Achilles in a game seven loss during this year’s NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but a recent move ought to make that physical and mental journey a lot easier. The PUMA athlete recently put a ring on it and proposed to his longtime girlfriend Jade Jones.
The couple shared a collaborative Instagram post on Monday (July 28), showing that the two-time All-Star went all out for his partner. He got down on one knee in the Hilton Coliseum, home to the Iowa State Cyclones and where their love began. Haliburton set up a huge “Will You Marry Me” sign with a rose-laden arch, all backdropping her emotional reaction to his proposal.
Their Instagram post includes photos of them posing, hugging, kissing, and smiling. The couple even appealed to the Generation Z Disney Channel watchers by choosing “Can I Have This Dance” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year as the soundtrack to a video within the post. Jones was visibly thrilled about this new chapter in her life, commenting “Future Mrs. What the Hali” with multiple crying emojis on the post, a reference to Rob 49’s viral hit “WTHelly,” which mentions her beau. Check out their engagement post below.
Haliburton was just one game from bringing the Pacers their first NBA championship, and first title since the team was part of the ABA, where they won a ring in 1970, 1972, and 1973. However, a nagging calf injury turned severely worse in game seven and was confirmed to be a torn Achilles.
Nonetheless, he emerged as a legitimate superstar throughout the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The star guard consistently made big shots as the Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks on the Eastern Conference side of things. The Pacers will have huge shoes to fill this upcoming season, but so long as his recovery goes well and he can return to his primetime player self, there is a strong chance they can return to the NBA Finals.