Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said he was "shocked" to learn his first game back from a torn Achilles tendon would not be nationally televised when the NBA regular-season schedule was released earlier this week.
Haliburton, who sat out the 2025-26 season to rehab a torn Achilles he suffered during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, will make his regular-season return when the Pacers open at the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 21.
"Name any other person that you compare to my level of a basketball player, wherever you have me ranked, if they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think that [first game back] would be on national TV?" Haliburton said during an appearance on the "Numbers on the Board" podcast. "Do you think that game would be at home if not on national television? Do you think that game would be at New Orleans?
"When I saw the schedule I was like, 'Oh, wow.' I was shocked to see that. But we move on."
The two nationally televised games Oct. 21 are the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pacers make their home debut Oct. 23 vs. the Dallas Mavericks and will play their first game on national television Oct. 28 when they host the Philadelphia 76ers.