But now he\u2019s back to doing what he loves and he couldn\u2019t be happier about it. After scoring 23 points and dishing out 12 assists in the win over the Pelicans, Haliburton was asked in his on-court postgame interview how much fun he had being back in action. After choking back some tears and wiping his eyes with his towel and then his hands, he said, quite simply but with deep meaning:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot to be back out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyrese Haliburton broke down during his postgame interview with Jeremiah Johnson \ud83e\udd79<\/p>\n
So good to have you back, 0 \ud83d\udc99 pic.twitter.com\/w0py2seq2C<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Haliburton later opened up about the emotions he showed in that interview.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it all just hit me kind of there,\u201d Haliburton said, according to The Athletic<\/a>. \u201cWe haven\u2019t won here in five years or whatever. And to see all those Pacers fans here in New Orleans for this means a lot to me. And this organization, this city, means a lot. And it just means a lot for me to be back doing what I love. So, I think that all hit me at once, but I\u2019m really happy to be back on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n What made the night even better for the 26-year-old guard was that he had a lot of his family in attendance. You have to imagine they all shed some tears, too, knowing how much Haliburton has been through since he fell to the floor in the first quarter of Game 7 against the Thunder way back in June 2025. <\/p>\n Ranking All 30 Projected NBA Starting Lineups in 2026\u201327 From Worst to Best<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMy people flew out here. I think there was 12 people on the [private] plane,\u201d Haliburton said. \u201cMy best friend, my brothers. My parents. My wife. My trainer. Mostly everybody. I think it was important for everybody to be there and they wanted to be there for me. It just means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Haliburton\u2019s emotional interview is what we really love about sports. It\u2019s easy to be cynical about things in this day and age. Then you see a young star athlete being vulnerable about being able to get back to doing what he loves and suddenly you have goosebumps up and down your arms. That\u2019s the good stuff right there.<\/p>\n You know what was also good? The way Haliburton looked all night, but especially down the stretch when he came up big for his team. This and-one with just under 90 seconds left gave the Pacers the lead for good and showed everyone that he\u2019s back to being the guy that led Indiana to the Finals two years ago.<\/p>\n Tyrese Haliburton down the lane for the lead \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/RD2xn6BclY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Next up for Haliburton is what will likely be another emotional night when he makes his return in front of the home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday against the Mavericks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s Game 1,\u201d he said about Wednesday\u2019s win over the Pelicans before looking ahead to the Mavs. \u201cWhat we appreciate about it is putting film on the coaches’ computers for us to watch. I will be thankful for that and prepare for Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n The Eastern Conference is loaded with talented teams this year and now the Pacers are back to being included in that mix. And that\u2019s because their star is back leading the way.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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