Tyrese Haliburton’s Comeback Journey: Progress, Perspective, and Patience
Tyrese Haliburton is inching his way back from one of the toughest injuries a basketball player can face - a torn right Achilles tendon. The Indiana Pacers star went down in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, just minutes into the action against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’d already put up 9 points in the early going before collapsing on a move, the culmination of weeks playing through a nagging calf injury.
The Pacers made it official in July: Haliburton would miss the entire 2025-26 season. But that hasn’t meant radio silence.
Far from it. Through the months, Haliburton has kept fans in the loop with a series of video updates chronicling his rehab - a behind-the-scenes look at the grind, the progress, and the mindset of a player determined to return stronger.
The latest installment, titled “Week 31,” gives us the clearest picture yet of where he is physically. We see Haliburton back in the gym - not just rehabbing, but hooping.
He’s suiting up, warming up, going through dribbling drills, putting in work in the weight room, stretching, shooting, running through one-on-one and three-on-three sessions, and yes - even dunking. For most people, that would be a full-on training camp.
For Haliburton, it’s just another checkpoint on the road back.
But even with all that, he knows he’s not quite there yet.
On a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James, Haliburton opened up about a moment that brought some much-needed perspective. It came during a scrimmage, when he found himself matched up with teammate Bennedict Mathurin.
“First play, he comes down, hits me with a hesi, pulls a three,” Haliburton recalled. “They’re yelling, ‘Go at him!’
And he’s like, ‘Ah, his leg.’ I’m like, ‘Hey bruh, I’m fine.
Attack me like normal. I gotta see where I’m at.’”
Mathurin obliged. “He hesi’d me one time.
He was at the rim, I was still at the three-point line,” Haliburton said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Ohhh.’
I still got some time. I gotta give myself some grace and understand it’s going to take some time.”
That moment - equal parts humbling and motivating - is a reminder that recovery isn’t linear, especially from something as serious as an Achilles tear. There’s no shortcut to regaining that top-tier lateral quickness, that explosive first step, that ability to stay in front of a guy like Mathurin when he’s in attack mode.
Haliburton knows that. And he’s embracing the process.
Off the court, Haliburton has had a full year as well. In July 2025, he got engaged to Jade Jones, his longtime girlfriend whom he met during their days at Iowa State - he was the floor general for the Cyclones, she was a cheerleader. It’s a partnership that’s followed him into the pros, and one that’s clearly been a source of support during this long rehab stretch.
As for his family, they’ve remained a visible presence throughout his career. His father, John Haliburton, is a familiar face at Pacers games, often stationed front row off the baseline. He made headlines last postseason after a heated exchange with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo during the first-round series - a moment that underscored just how invested the Haliburton family is in Tyrese’s journey.
And then there’s the fun fact that never gets old: Haliburton was born on February 29, 2000. So depending on how you count it, he’s either 25 years old or celebrating his sixth actual birthday this coming Leap Day.
The good news for Pacers fans? Haliburton’s mindset is in the right place.
He’s not rushing it. He’s not sugarcoating it.
He knows what it takes to get back to being one of the league’s premier playmakers - and he’s putting in the work, one step at a time.
Comeback stories are never easy. But if what we’re seeing from Haliburton is any indication, this one has all the makings of something special.