Tyrese Haliburton
Two-time All-Star point guard who led the Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals.
Tyrese John Haliburton (born February 29, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed 'Hali' and 'the Haliban', he is a two-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Third Team selection.
- Position
- Point Guard
- Jersey Number
- 0
- Draft
- 2020 NBA Draft, 12th overall (Indiana Pacers)
- College
- UCLA (2019–20)
- Hometown
- Indianapolis, Indiana area
- Signature Trait
- No-look passing / creative playmaking
Lore & Background
Haliburton was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and played high school basketball at Oshkosh North High School. He played college basketball for Iowa State, where he set the program's single-game assists record as a freshman and was named to the All-Big 12 Conference second team as a sophomore despite a season-ending wrist injury. He was selected by the Sacramento Kings 12th overall in the 2020 NBA draft and was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022 as part of a deal for Domantas Sabonis. He earned back-to-back East All-Star selections (reserve in 2023, starter in 2024) and led the Pacers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years in 2025.
In Their Own Story
The Bankers Life Fieldhouse is empty except for the sound of a single ball bouncing on hardwood. Haliburton, in a black warm-up shirt, stands at the top of the key. He dribbles once, twice. A ghost of a defender—just a memory of a closeout—closes in. He hits the hesitation, the ball vanishes behind his back, and for a split second the whole arena feels the pull of that pass before it arrives. He smiles, tucks the ball under his arm, and runs back to the top. The lights hum. The scoreboards are dark. Did you SEE that?'*
He runs it again. And again. Not for the crowd. For the feel of it. For the city that raised him and the black-and-gold that finally, after so long, made sense.
Reader's Guide
Haliburton is a point guard known for his playmaking and shooting. He helped the United States win gold at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. His father, John, is a basketball referee and former women's basketball coach; his mother, Brenda, has attended nearly all his games. He has a younger brother, Marcel, and two older half-brothers. Haliburton is biracial (African-American father, white mother).
Did You Know?
- Haliburton was born on a leap day, February 29, 2000.
- He set Iowa State's single-game assists record with 17 assists as a freshman.
- He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.
- Haliburton scored a career-high 42 points in a high school game against West Virginia recruit Jordan McCabe.
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