Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton talks motivation from Jeff Van Gundy and why he isn’t seeking respect (2024)

Tyrese Haliburton has been on the kind of run over the past calendar year kids dream about.

The 24-year-old Indiana Pacers point guard started in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, led his team to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance in a decade, made third team All-NBA to trigger a $40 million bonus in his maximum contract extension and won a gold medal alongside Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the Paris Olympics.

Haliburton is no longer the overlooked Wisconsin native with the funny-looking jumper. He’s the face of the Pacers, with hopes of doing what Reggie Miller once did: Leading Indiana to the NBA Finals. It’s a heavy burden, but Haliburton is deeply motivated by those who question his legitimacy — especially those he respects.

“Why haven’t you won yet?” he remembers Jeff Van Gundy asking him during the FIBA World Cup last year. It’s a question that enraged and fueled him.

Now, with a conference finals appearance and gold medal under his belt, Haliburton can finally tell Van Gundy he has won. But he knows that won’t be enough. Not for Van Gundy, and not for himself.

One special year could be a fluke. But another? That could change the league’s pecking order. Ahead of his fifth season in the NBA and third full season with the Pacers, Haliburton spoke to The Athletic about his rise and his desire to keep climbing.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

You had a busier summer than usual while playing for Team USA in the Olympics. What was it like to win the gold but also get benched in some of the games? Can you remember the last time you didn’t play and you were healthy?

No, I never had that experience in my life. I think these are special circumstances, being surrounded by 11 of the greatest players in the world, so that’s all a part of it.

For me, when you look at something like that, everybody has had to pay their dues at some point. I had a lot of conversations with (LeBron James), (Dwyane) Wade and (Carmelo Anthony) out there. Those guys all played in the 2004 Olympics and didn’t really get to play a ton or as much as they wanted to. They kind of got a little taste of being benched.

So, I think it’s all a part of it. I’m not bigger than any one group, and I’m not too proud to check my ego at the door for a bigger goal. We won a gold medal, and I get to tell my kids that I was a part of one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

Beyond the on-court experience at the Olympics, what was it like to pick the brain of your peers?

It was really big. Even with a guy like Jrue Holiday, who’s won two championships and been in the league so long and played different roles, I think it’s been amazing.

I’m just really thankful for the experience I had, the guys I got to be around and the relationships that I formed. Because it’s not only the guys on the team, but I think the coaching staff, from coach (Steve Kerr to Tyronn Lue to Van Gundy).

Van Gundy was a big part of my motivation going into this last year because with the (2023 FIBA) World Cup team, he just kept challenging me. Like, ‘Why haven’t you won yet?’ And I could come up with all of these excuses as to why I haven’t won, but the fact of the matter was I hadn’t won. So all I could think about all year was how much Van Gundy pissed me off.

But it was real, though, and that’s why I love JVG. That was a real challenge that he had for me. (It’s) why I’m thankful for that guy and why we have a great relationship.

The next challenge, I assume, is carrying your Olympic experience and success into the NBA season. How much do you pay attention to the landscape of the East, with Karl-Anthony Towns joining the New York Knicks and Paul George joining the Philadelphia 76ers?

Our league, there’s so much movement all of the time. Guys want to be traded, guys get traded, super teams are formed or whatever the case may be. But I’m really focused on my group.

I think this training camp has been so refreshing because this is the most continuity I’ve ever had in my career. I’ve never had the same defensive coach two years in a row in my career. This is the first time I’ve ever had that with (Pacers assistants Jenny Boucek and Jim Boylen) running our defense. I’ve never had consistency offensively. And with the coaching staff, this the first time I’ve had it where there’s been no coaching movement. We have the same coaching staff, let alone the same group of guys. So, this is really refreshing, really exciting, because it’s less about teaching and more of the detail work and complex stuff and getting to those (stages) quicker. That’s been so refreshing and so fun for me, and I think that’s gonna make us so good moving forward.

But listen, at the end of the day, every team in the NBA can do whatever they want to do. We’re all still chasing Boston.

Pascal Siakam said at the end of last season that winning is delicate and you all can’t just expect to be back in the Eastern Conference finals every year. What’s the balance of cherishing what you all accomplished but also turning the page and chasing a new challenge?

We had a great year. We did some special things. But for me, being honest with you, we didn’t do anything, to me, that we weren’t supposed to do. We had that expectation as a group, and I said that all last year. We expected to do what we did.

But we want more, and I think we need to be greedy. If you really want to win, you really want to do something special, you gotta be greedy. I’m not satisfied with one Eastern Conference finals berth. That’s not enough for me. I want a lot more for my career, and so do we as a team. … We have so many guys that play with this enormous chip on their shoulder, and I think that starts from the top with me and Pascal.

While preparing for what you plan on being a great season, you also had a courtside seat at a lot of Indiana Fever games this summer while they made their first playoff appearance since 2016. As the NBA’s assists leader, what was it like to watch the WNBA’s assist leader, Caitlin Clark, turn the city up?

It’s super dope because I am such a basketball junkie. When I told Caitlin I genuinely watch a lot of women’s basketball, I think she was surprised that I really know a lot about the game. I think it’s really cool, and I just really appreciated her and all that she does and watching her. She’s amazing and she’s so special.

… I think I do see some things sometimes that she sees before other people see it. That’s part of the beauty of the game and just having a great passing mind. But I think she even sees some things sometimes that I don’t, and I think I see some things that she doesn’t. I think that’s another part of the beauty of being a great guard in our (respective leagues).

I know you’re big into fashion and recently just signed a shoe deal with PUMA. Why’d you choose them? And does this mean your coach Rick Carlisle will be wearing PUMA now too?

Everybody’s been hitting my line. Everybody wants (new PUMAs). Everybody’s excited about the partnership and what we have planned for it because everybody around me knows how much I enjoy the creative process of things.

My mind, I work so creatively to do so many things. That’s why a lot of my friends, my family and my teammates are so excited to see what we have in store because they know I wouldn’t decide to go with a brand if they didn’t have some creative things in mind. I think that’s why everybody is so excited and wants to know everything. But I can’t tell everybody everything right away …

I’ll try with Rick. It’s a work in progress. You gotta understand, we’re from different generations (laughs). But yeah, I’m sure we’ll be seeing him in some PUMAs moving forward. I have no doubt about that.

Made you look. #PUMAfam@PUMA @PUMAHoops pic.twitter.com/njC9vGmVcW

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) October 8, 2024

So, you have the new shoe deal, you have the gold medal, you have the big contract, you have success as an individual and as a team. Do you think you have the respect? How do you think you’re viewed in the league now versus when you first came in?

That’s a great question, and that’s a complex question for me. Because to be honest with you, I think I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really care. I don’t really care how I’m viewed. I know who I am. My group knows who I am. My coaches, my loved ones, they know who I am. And at the end of the day, the competitors know who I am because they have to scout and be prepared to play against my group. So, I don’t really care at this point. I think for me it’s just about being the best player I can be, and whatever that is, is for other people to talk about and decide.

But I just think that I’ve been blessed to be in the position that I am to have this God-given ability to play basketball at a high level, to communicate and lead at a high level. My job, honestly, as a servant is to squeeze out and maximize every ounce of ability that I have while I’m here. I don’t know what that is. Some people could say that one day that could mean being one of the greatest guards ever. Some people could say I’ve already maximized who I am. But I really don’t care.

I just know that I’m 24 years old, and there’s a lot of room for me to grow. I’m gonna get there, and I’m just looking forward to the journey.

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(Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

James Boyd is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Indianapolis Colts. He grew up in Romeoville, Ill., and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His first job was as a high school sports reporter at The Times of Northwest Indiana and it changed his life forever. Follow James on Twitter @romeovillekid