Tyrese Haliburton Buys Iowa State Students Tickets for Pacers vs. Wolves Preseason Game

Tyrese Haliburton's alma mater will host an NBA preseason game this week, and the Indiana Pacers star is making sure students have the chance to see his squad take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Per ESPN's Jamal Collier , the star point guard purchased tickets for the student section, and the school held a lottery for those who wanted to attend the game.

"I'm hosting all the students and we'll still have student sections, so I think that'll be fun," Haliburton told reporters in Indianapolis after practice Tuesday. "I don't know if it'll be all Pacers fans in there."

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Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves will be special for Haliburton for multiple reasons. Not only will he get the chance to play at the Hilton Coliseum again, but it will also mark his return to the court after more than 16 months away.

Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder and missed all of the 2025-26 campaign.

Haliburton, who played at Iowa State from 2018 to 2020, suggested having a game at Iowa State years ago, noting that Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan was born in Des Moines. According to Collier, head coach Rick Carlisle said the game was supposed to take place last year but was moved after Haliburton's injury.

Returning to Iowa State should make for a unique experience for Haliburton, and now, plenty of students will get the chance to cheer him on.

"I think it'll be fun for everybody," Haliburton said. "I know there's nobody as passionate about Iowa State as the current students."