After more than a year on the sidelines, Tyrese Haliburton is officially back in the NBA, and he made sure nobody missed it. The Indiana Pacers star sat out the entire previous season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. That long and grueling recovery finally came to an end Wednesday night, when Indiana opened its season on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans.

A Return Fit for a Wrestling Legend

Haliburton has never been shy about his love of professional wrestling, and he leaned into it fully for his big night. He arrived at the arena wearing a denim-and-leather jacket modeled after the one Triple H wore when he made his own famous comeback in January 2002.

The tribute was a fitting one. Triple H, now WWE's chief content officer, suffered a devastating quadriceps tear during a match in May 2001, an injury that pulled the muscle away from the bone.…