Tyrese Haliburton Declares Himself '100%' Healthy For Pacers Season

Tyrese Haliburton sat down for Indiana Pacers media day and made sure to every reporter in the room knew his latest injury update.

"Before you ask a question, I am healthy. I'm 100%. There will be no restrictions," Haliburton declared on Monday, Sept. 28. "That is not news. There's no source. I am the source. I'm good. I'm ready to go for the year."

That is most certainly good news for the Pacers, who enter the 2026-27 NBA season coming off a rough campaign in which Haliburton didn't play at all while rehabbing from the torn Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Haliburton also endured a frustrating case of shingles that slowed his recovery.

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During the 15 months he hasn't played, Haliburton kept tabs on all the doubts that formed about his ability to regain his All-Star form and the Pacers' viability as a contender. He already expressed shock last month upon learning his first game back from injury for Indiana's regular season opener won't be on national television.

"You guys know the type of person I am. You know that I search for any type of negativity at all times," Haliburton said on Monday. "My screenshots folder, my bookmarks folder on Twitter is pretty crazy. That's just who I am. That's always going to be who I am. The last 16 months have allowed for a lot, a lot of material for me and that's fun. That's going to make the year fun for us ... As a team, we have a lot of bulletin board material."

Haliburton said he expects Indiana to compete for an NBA title again with center Ivica Zubac joining the team's core at last year's trade deadline.

How Haliburton looks with him remains an unknown until it actually happens. The 26-year-old point guard has been playing 5-on-5 against team personnel and teammates in recent weeks and posted a video on social media completing a between-the-legs dunk to demonstrate his progress.

Haliburton mentioned having to "rebuild who I am" during this rehabilitation process and noted, "the first time that I fell and the gym didn't gasp, that's when I felt normal again."

"I feel great. I can only say it so many times," Haliburton said. "I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor and you guys being able to see it for yourself."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyrese Haliburton declares himself '100%' healthy for Pacers season