Tyrese Haliburton 2023-24 Exit Interview | Indiana Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton 2023-24 Exit Interview | Indiana Pacers

Ty congrats on a tremendous season what will you remember most about this year and this team a lot of things the uh End season tournament run just it being the inaugural year and the success we had that Celtics game most energy that I’ve ever been a part of in an NBA game for a lot of people I’m sure it’s the most energy they’ve ever felt in an NBA game so that’s a game I’ll never forget but that run just in all was a lot of fun and Allstar being in Indiana to be a part of that was just you know amazing so and then this playoff run to cap off I think it was just a great year for us as a team and team success is what you know mattered to me the most this year so I just had a lot of fun you mentioned that inseason tournament run that really put got a lot of attention for you and the team how much of a catalyst was that for you guys building success and and gaining confidence for the rest of the season it was big I think because it proved that we you know we belong that we can play with anybody but then I think it also put doubt in people’s mind you know what I mean they were like can they is this sustainable is this something is this real is it you know and I think that for us that just put a you know battery in our backs you know what I mean we were ready to go from there just you know I think we all got a group of guys that have a big chip on on their shoulder already and I think that just added to it I think that was the amazing part and then with Allstar getting to play host that weekend getting to start your first All-Star Game in Indianapolis what did that mean for you personally it was a lot of fun it was a lot of fun just being home got to sleep in my bed every night that was nice just being here being with you know all the the Pacer fans there’s so many Pacer fans all around at everything that was going going on here all the activities it was just a lot of fun for everybody and so for me to be a part of it kind of be like prom king for a weekend was a lot of fun and I I feel like I did a good job of being involved in as much as I could I think the organization just put me in a good spot to do everything that I could to have success and play in the game and then had success in the game as well and we won so it was a lot of fun the second half of the season the playoff push and then getting into the playoffs for the first time what did you learn about yourself over those few months it wasn’t easy it wasn’t easy just because of everything I dealt with year with my hamstring and how the year went and we had a lot of ups and downs you know all all year but I think just for me it’s my first time ever having a playoff run so understanding that every game really mattered the the impact that every game had to you know your final standings I’m looking at the standings every day on my phone looking at worst case scenario best case scenario what could happen here and there I’m watching more games than ever I’m more locked into to to games and stuff like that so it it just meant a lot and I hope that we can you know continue to make that a standard in this organization and continue to do that this locker room such a tight-knit group such a resilient group what made this particular team so special just truthfully I think it’s the the love and appreciation we have for one another I think in the professional sports world it’s not common to have as a close nit of a bond that we did it’s not usual but it’s something that we did all year from the beginning of the year we went on a players only little mini camp in Nashville and spend some time together and that was a lot of fun and then I think we just we just got a lot of guys that are around the same age and all want the same days we all want a lot of Team success and individual success for each other as well so I think that was important for everybody top to bottom and I think just how close we were led to a lot of our success want to ask you about the bond you have in particular with TJ and the way that you guys interact with each other and and get keep the offense running just how valuable has he been for for this team and for you personally yeah he’s like my big brother TJ’s uh very important for me just because when I got traded here I knew I was going to have the you know the best backup point guard in the NBA and I think that gave me a lot of confidence because I knew if I got I could really go all out if I got tired I knew I have you a great player right behind me be you go and I think what we proved this year is that we can play together and that was a lot of fun too just because of the relationship that we have the honesty that we have with each other it just makes it fun and uh just really thankful for him bringing in Pascal was obviously such a huge moment for this franchise how important was he to this playoff run and and how hopeful are you to have here alongside you long term this is a huge addition for us adding another piece like that he’s so amazing at what he does and I’m really I really admire his game and I have for a long time from afar so I’m really thankful that he’s my teammate we’ve been able to grow a relationship and I think over time our relationship on the court you know just grew so much because it takes time to really grow chemistry and he’s just kind of thrown into the fire while I was hurt and it was kind of like figuring out my minutes you know to to build to ramp back up but also figuring out how he was going to slot into the team team so it was like it was interesting how we were able to do that we figured it out by the end of it and yeah I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he’s on this team next year I really would love to have Pascal as my teammate for the foreseeable future for the rest of his career would be amazing so you know I look forward to you know hopefully being teammates moving forward and do everything I can the fight to get him back you’re on the Olympic roster this summer how much are you looking forward to going to Paris and hopefully bringing back a gold medal it’s going to be a lot of fun it’s going to be a lot of fun I’ve dreamt of playing Olympics my whole life so to be able to do that with honestly a lot of guys that I’ve looked up to you know my whole life will be a lot of fun and and practices and being able to compete against them it’s just going to be a lot of fun so I really look forward to that you know the plan is to bring back a gold medal you know that’s the standard that USA Basketball is so I look forward to being able to be a part of that and and uh try to do that with with those guys and it’s should be a lot of fun it’s something I’ve always dreamt of and I think a lot of kids who play basketball dream of something like that so I look forward to it what are the fans meant to you personally this season the fans have me everything they’ve been everything I think just seeing the the interest and the you know the love that they’ve shown the years I’ve been here you know when I first got here it was a team that was struggling um but the excitement really ramped up when I got traded here cuz I think they saw something and then last year we had a great year and then this year obviously getting all the way to Eastern Conference Finals our home record we didn’t lose at home in like 70 days for a reason you know what I mean we lost uh the last two games of the Conference Finals but man it it was truly our fans willing us to win we’re just really thankful for them and all the love they show to all our guys 1 to 18 our Co coaching staff everybody like they say basketball it’s not just basketball here in Indiana and that’s real and I think anybody who know opponents teammates anybody who gets the experience a basketball game in Indiana let alone a you know playoff game in Indiana they really see you know what it’s like here [Music]

Tyrese Haliburton sat down with Pacers.com’s Wheat Hotchkiss and talked about the team’s relationship, participating in NBA All-Star Weekend and the upcoming Olympics.