Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has a charismatic presence. His outgoing personality is often on display in press conferences and interviews. Haliburton is staying active off the court while rehabbing his torn Achilles tendon by making regular media appearances.
He recently spoke with his childhood favorite and 2024 Olympics teammate, LeBron James, and discussed his experiences playing alongside James and some of the NBA’s other top veterans.
Tyrese Haliburton Recalls One of the Most Special Moments of His Career
Haliburton was the latest guest on the Mind the Game podcast and reflected on his experience playing with James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, among others.
Haliburton said, “I’ll never forget playing five on five at the gym, the Metropolitan Gym, or whatever, in, uh, France, and it’s me, you, and Steph on the same team and you caught the long outlet and jumped up without looking and I was like what is he doing, but I saw you, I’m like, oh I think he’s seeing Steph set the back pick for the three.
“Like, I’m like, that was the coldest moment in my basketball history, like to even be involved in that play.”
Tyrese Haliburton couldn’t believe what LeBron did in an Olympics practice:
“I’ll never forget playing 5-on-5… It’s me, you, and Steph on the same team, and you caught the long outlet and jumped up without looking… And, I was like, ‘What is he doing?’… ‘Oh, I think he’s… pic.twitter.com/GDByi8NvKV
— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) January 27, 2026
The joy on Haliburton’s face while he looked back on his experiences playing with James was hard to miss. He’s always talked about being a James fan while growing up, even saying that James is his GOAT. James has likewise praised Haliburton, specifically defending him when Haliburton was named the most overrated player in the NBA last April in an anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic.
James also drafted Haliburton to his team while serving as a captain during the 2023 All-Star Game. Haliburton said at the time that it was a dream come true to play alongside James. There does seem to be genuine mutual respect. Haliburton was infamously out of the rotation during Team USA’s run to the gold medal in Paris, but apparently, he tried to gather as much information as possible from James, Curry, Durant, and the other veterans.
Haliburton’s presence is missed as the Pacers have fallen to the bottom of the Eastern Conference after consecutive deep playoff runs. With the Pacers essentially out of the playoff race, they’re going to be patient. Haliburton’s return to the court will be a key storyline heading into next season.
