The Indiana Pacers are in the Eastern Conference semifinals after beating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. They currently take a 1:0 series lead against the number one seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers have been on a steady rise in the past few years, and it is practically impossible to analyse their heroics without putting star point guard Tyrese Haliburton as the central piece.
The 25-year-old point guard is the heart of the Pacers’ offense and, together with Caitlin Clark, is the face of sports in the city of Indianapolis. It wasn’t a straightforward journey, but a young lad from Wisconsin is now the cornerstone of a franchise in Indiana.
The Rise of Tyrese Haliburton from a three-star recruit to a NBA All-star.
Haliburton’s father, John, is a basketball referee and a former women’s basketball coach, but this didn’t mean anything to him while growing up.
He had to work twice as hard to get to where he is today. He was once late for a varsity game after his senior, who was supposed to pick him up, overslept. Frank Schade, his head coach at that time, called him the “worst freshman” ever.
“Coach told me that day I was the worst freshman he ever coached. That was actually my senior [yearbook] quote, ‘You’re the worst freshman I’ve ever had on varsity.”
“All Ty could do was sit there and cry, because he was so disappointed,” his father, John, told NBA.com. “But that was a learning process, not a punishment.”
Haliburton noted that day in history and took as fuel to fire up his engine. He never had a plan B, only just one mission – make it to the NBA.
In his junior season with Oshkosh North High School, Haliburton averaged 18 points, six assists and five rebounds per game and he also earned some individual accolades as his team fell just short of winning the state tournament.
He would eventually lead his team to a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I state championship victory over Brookfield East High School, winning his program’s first state title.
He was named Oshkosh Northwestern All-Area Player of the Year, Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year, and FVA co-Player of the Year. He was also selected to the WBCA Division I All-State team and the USA Today All-USA Wisconsin first team.
Haliburton was a three-star recruit, and he committed to Iowa State in 2017, although he had considered teaming up with his friend, Milwaukee Bucks’ AJ Green, at Northern Iowa.
The @Pacers star continues to prove the doubters wrong 😤
(via @Hudl, @TyHaliburton22) pic.twitter.com/hxmEnKumum
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) May 5, 2025
In his freshman season at Iowa State, Haliburton averaged 6.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 35 appearances.
He was the only NCAA Division I true freshman, other than Zion Williamson, to accumulate at least 50 steals and 30 blocks. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game as a sophomore and was named to the second-team All-Big 12.
Haliburton was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In February 2022, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in a deal that saw Domantas Sabonis head the other way.
Haliburton participated in the NBA’s 2022 Rising Stars Challenge alongside teammate Chris Duarte. He and Desmond Bane were the winners of the 2022 Clorox Clutch Challenge, an event for the 75th season at the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was named to his first-ever NBA All-Star Game in 2023 as a reserve guard for the Eastern Conference.
He led the Pacers to the final of the inaugural NBA In-season tournament, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2024, he was named an Eastern Conference starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, marking his second consecutive selection and his first selection as a starter.
KEEP READING: Full 2025 NBA Mock Draft
He led the United States to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup and was named to the All-Tournament Team’s All-Star Five. He was named to the 2024 Olympic team consisting of superstars LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum.
The journey has been steep, but Tyrese Haliburton is finally an NBA superstar.
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