Tyrese Haliburton is heading back to Ames.
The Indiana Pacers announced they will open their 2026 preseason schedule on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Hilton Coliseum, giving Iowa State fans a chance to watch one of their most prominent recent stars back on the floor in the building where he made his name.
For Haliburton, it’s a notable return after a lost season. He missed the 2025-26 NBA campaign because of an Achilles injury suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 22, but he is expected to be free of restrictions for training camp and the upcoming season.
The matchup also marks the first preseason game of the year for Indiana.
Ames has seen this kind of NBA showcase before, but not often. The Pacers-Timberwolves game will be the fourth NBA exhibition hosted at Hilton Coliseum.
The first came in 1991, when Jeff Grayer and the Milwaukee Bucks played Jeff Hornacek and the Phoenix Suns. Iowa State fans also got a rare look at two former Cyclones on opposite sides in 1999, when Fred Hoiberg’s Chicago Bulls took on the Atlanta Hawks coached by Tim Floyd, who had spent the previous four seasons leading the Cyclones.
The most recent preseason game at Hilton came in 2018, when the Bucks faced Minnesota.
Haliburton’s return adds another layer to what was already a meaningful basketball moment for Iowa State. He was the last Cyclones player selected in the NBA Draft before Joshua Jefferson ended a five-year drought for the program in the 2026 draft, going No. 28 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves before being part of a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
Haliburton himself was picked No. 12 by the Sacramento Kings in 2020. He spent his first 1.5 seasons in Sacramento before being traded to the Pacers, where he has become the franchise point guard and helped lift Indiana to new heights.
His college resume in Ames was strong enough to make this return feel special. In his sophomore season, Haliburton was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award. He averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 0.7 blocks in 36.7 minutes per game.
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