It was a special night for Tyrese Haliburton on Thursday as it marked his return from a lengthy injury layoff. It also happened to be the same day that the NBA All-Star Game reserves were announced and as a lot of folks expected, the Indiana Pacers guard earned his first All-Star nod.

Haliburton has now shared his reaction to his recent feat, and the Pacers star admitted that this is indeed a dream come true for him:

“When I was like five, I played NBA Live '05 and I didn't know how to start a game other than playing the All-Star Weekend,” he said. “I would always play the All-Star Game and the Rookie-Sophomore Game, so for sure, those were the big accomplishments for me if I ever made it to the NBA.

“I'm just excited, man. It's an exciting time for me and my family, for sure.”

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Haliburton received a nomination to the East All-Star squad behind career-best averages of 20.2 points on 48.0 percent from the field, 4.0 rebounds, a league-leading 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals, while also connecting on 3.0 triples per game. Simply put, it's hard to argue against Haliburton's All-Star nod.

Unfortunately, the 22-year-old's big night was spoiled by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who came into Indiana to deal the Pacers a tough 112-111 loss. Haliburton actually had a chance to win it in the dying seconds of the game, but his layup attempt was blocked by Anthony Davis. Despite the loss, however, there's no denying that Tyrese Haliburton has to be feeling pretty good about himself right about now.