Indiana Pacers' star Tyrese Haliburton has one major problem with the new NBA schedule
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is heading into his return to NBA basketball this fall with a chip on his shoulder — and he wants everyone to know why.
The league released its schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 season this week, and one of the more talked-about games on the calendar was Indiana's October road trip to New Orleans. It will be Haliburton's first regular-season appearance since Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, when he tore the Achilles tendon in his right leg and the Pacers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton, a former Iowa State standout who had been one of the breakout stars of that playoff run, missed all of the 2025-26 season while recovering from the injury. His return was already expected to be one of the early-season storylines around the league. The question, as Haliburton sees it, is why the league didn't treat it that way.
Appearing on the "Number on the Board" podcast, he made his case plainly.
"Name any other person that you compare to my level of a basketball player, wherever you have me ranked," Haliburton said. "If they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think that game would be on national television? Do you think that game would be at home, if not on national television? Do you think that that game would be at New Orleans?"
The answer, according to the schedule, is yes on all three. Indiana opens the regular season in New Orleans against the Pelicans, with no national television designation and no home crowd to cheer the comeback.
The contrast with the league's opening night is hard to miss. The NBA's marquee season opener will feature LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden — the kind of high-profile, nationally televised stage the league typically reserves for its biggest moments.
Haliburton's frustration reflects a familiar challenge for the NBA: balancing 82 games across 30 teams while trying to give every compelling storyline its proper spotlight. With so many nights to fill and so many stars to feature, not every return story can be given a national platform or a home game.
Still, the case for spotlighting Haliburton is strong. He played through pain during the 2025 Finals and was central to a Pacers run that captivated fans. His 16-month absence after such a dramatic exit is the kind of arc the league usually leans into.
For now, though, Haliburton will make his comeback in an arena that, given his pointed comments, is likely to greet him with a less-than-warm reception. The boos may be loud in New Orleans. Whether the schedule-makers were right to leave his return off the national stage is a debate that will probably only quiet down once he gets back on the court and reminds everyone what all the fuss was about.
