Tyrese Haliburton earned the first All Star nomination of his career after a strong first half with the Indiana Pacers. Haliburton reflected on his All Star opportunity and what it meant to play alongside some of the NBA's greats.
Haliburton played for Team LeBron, who fell to Team Giannis 184-175. The Pacers' guard scored 18 points and had three assists in 14 minutes. Haliburton said he never expected to be on this stage and was just honored to be recognized as an All Star, via Bally Sports Indiana.
“I was just ready for whatever. Honestly, I expected to barely play. I expected to be the last pick. Wasn't the last pick though, so that's good,” Haliburton said. “It was just really fun to be out there with all the greats.
Alongside the stars he played next to, Haliburton relished in meeting past NBA legends such as Carmelo Anthony. Haliburton said his first ever NBA jersey was Melo's. Meeting Anthony at the All Star Game was a, “full circle,” moment for the guard.
While Tyrese Haliburton took the humble approach to his All Star Game appearance, his numbers tell a much clearer story. Through 48 games, Haliburton is averaging 19.9 points, 10.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. His points and assists would both be career-highs. Halburton's assists are currently tied for third-highest in the league.
After being traded from the Kings, Halburton has thrived in Indiana. His first full season with the Pacers culminated with his first All Star nod. Haliburton didn't expect to be on the All Star stage. But now that he's here, Haliburton is looking to stay.