Tyrese Haliburton

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.

As a freshman playing college basketball with the Iowa State Cyclones, Haliburton set the program's single-game assists record. He had breakout success as a sophomore and was named to the All-Big 12 Conference second team despite suffering a season-ending wrist injury.

Haliburton was selected by the Sacramento Kings 12th overall in the 2020 NBA draft. In 2022, he was acquired by the Indiana Pacers as part of a trade package for Domantas Sabonis. Haliburton then earned back-to-back East All-Star selections, being named to the All-Star team as a reserve in 2023 and as a starter in 2024. In 2025, he led the Pacers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years.

In 2019, Haliburton helped the United States to a gold medal and earned all-tournament team honors at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece. He was also on the national team roster that won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Early life and family

Haliburton was born on a leap day, February 29, 2000, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He is the son of John and Brenda Haliburton. John is a basketball referee and former women's basketball coach while Brenda has attended nearly all of her son's basketball games. Haliburton has a younger brother, Marcel, from his parents' marriage, and two older brothers from his mother's previous marriage.

Haliburton is biracial. His father is African-American and his mother is white.

High school career

Haliburton played basketball for Oshkosh North High School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-Fox Valley Association (FVA) second team and defensive team. In his junior season, Haliburton averaged 18 points, six assists and five rebounds per game, earning FVA Player of the Year and Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division I All-State accolades with his team falling just short of the State Tournament.

As a senior, Haliburton averaged 22.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, leading Oshkosh North to a 26–1 record. On February 18, 2018, he scored a career-high 42 points in a win over Kaukauna High School and West Virginia recruit Jordan McCabe. Haliburton scored 31 points, including 24 in the second half, and shot 18 of 18 from the free throw line in a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I state championship victory over Brookfield East High School, 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. Haliburton was selected to the WBCA Division I All-State team and the USA Today All-USA Wisconsin first team.

Recruiting

Considered a three-star recruit by major recruiting services, he committed to playing college basketball for Iowa State on September 18, 2017.

College career

On November 6, 2018, Haliburton made his college debut for Iowa State, posting 12 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 79–53 victory over Alabama State. He scored a season-high 16 points in an 82–55 victory against Omaha on November 26. On December 9, Haliburton recorded 15 points and 17 assists, with one turnover, in a 101–65 victory over Southern. His 17 assists were the most by an Iowa State player in any game, surpassing the previous record set by Eric Heft in 1974. Through 35 appearances in his freshman season, Haliburton averaged 6.8 points, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was the only NCAA Division I true freshman, other than Zion Williamson, to accumulate at least 50 steals and 30 blocks. Haliburton had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.5, which led the Big 12 Conference and ranked second in Division I.

Haliburton was named Big 12 Player of the Week on November 11, 2019, during his sophomore season, after averaging 13.5 points and 13.0 assists in wins over Mississippi Valley State and Oregon State. On November 27, he scored a season-high 25 points, to go with nine rebounds and five assists, in an 83–76 loss to Michigan at the Battle 4 Atlantis. On January 4, 2020, Haliburton recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in an overtime loss to TCU, the first triple-double by an Iowa State player since Monté Morris in 2016. He was subsequently named Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time. After fracturing his left wrist on February 8 during a game against Kansas State, Haliburton was ruled out for the rest of the season. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a sophomore. Haliburton was named to the second-team All-Big 12. After the season, he announced that he would enter the 2020 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college basketball eligibility.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2020–2022)

2020–21: All-Rookie honors

Haliburton was selected with the 12th pick by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft. On November 27, 2020, the Kings officially announced they had signed Haliburton. On December 23, he made his NBA debut, coming off the bench in a 124–122 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets with 12 points, four assists, two rebounds and a block. On April 14, 2021, Haliburton recorded a career-high six steals in a 123–111 loss to the Washington Wizards.

On May 2, 2021, Haliburton suffered a left knee injury against the Dallas Mavericks. Although an MRI later revealed no ligament damage, it was announced that he would miss the last seven games of the Kings' 2020–21 season as a precaution. After the season, Haliburton finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

2021–22: Final year in Sacramento

On January 29, 2022, Haliburton scored his Kings' then-career-high 38 points along with seven assists, three rebounds and two steals in a 103–101 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. Exactly a week later, in his final game as a King, Haliburton posted a then-career-high 17 assists, along with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals in a 113–103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Kings were seeking to acquire a center and held a surplus of point guards. The team had signed De'Aaron Fox to a five-year extension in 2020 to solidify him as the franchise's starting point guard, and later selected Davion Mitchell in the 2021 NBA draft. As a result, Haliburton became Sacramento's best trade asset in efforts to immediately improve the roster and end an NBA-record 16-year playoff drought.

Indiana Pacers (2022–present)

2021–22: First year in Indiana

On February 8, 2022, Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson were traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick. At the time of the trade, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle referred to Haliburton as "an elite young point guard that affects the game positively in many, many ways". Pacers president Kevin Pritchard stated that the team intended on building around Haliburton as its long-term centerpiece. The acquisition was regarded as a steal for the Pacers by Sports Illustrated.

On February 11, Haliburton made his Pacers debut in a 120–113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, logging 23 points in addition to six assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Five days later, Haliburton recorded 21 points and 14 assists in his first win with the Pacers, defeating the Washington Wizards 113–108. Haliburton participated in the NBA's 2022 Rising Stars Challenge alongside teammate Chris Duarte. Haliburton and Desmond Bane were the winners of the 2022 Clorox Clutch Challenge at the NBA All-Star Weekend.

On March 8, Haliburton scored 25 points in a 127–124 loss to the Cavaliers. He scored another 25 points in a 131–128 loss to the Atlanta Hawks five days later. On March 23, in the first game against his former team, Haliburton recorded 13 points, 15 assists and three steals in a one-point loss to the Sacramento Kings. Five days later, he recorded a 25-point, 13-assist double-double in a loss to the Hawks.

On April 1, Haliburton scored 30 points against the Boston Celtics, but was fouled out in the fourth quarter, leading to a 128–123 loss. Two days later, Haliburton tallied a near triple-double with 19 points, 17 assists, nine rebounds and no turnovers against the Detroit Pistons, recording the most assists in a game by a Pacer since T. J. McConnell in the 2020–21 season. In the 26 games he played for Indiana after the trade deadline, Haliburton averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists.