- ‘The only way to make an entrance in Indy,’ Pacers said of Tyrese Haliburton
- Haliburton is set to make his second straight All-Star Game appearance this year.
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Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton arrived in style at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game kickoff party — hopping into an IndyCar in the team’s colors.
Haliburton arrived at the event in downtown Indianapolis, not far from the site of the famous Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR Brickyard 400.
It was driven by IndyCar driver Conor Daly in a yellow and black car to begin the weekend’s festivities.
The 23-year-old guard will participate in multiple events during All-Star weekend, including the Kia Skills Challenge, with teammates Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner, and most notably his second consecutive All-Star Game.
Haliburton has been putting together one of the best seasons in the NBA this year, averaging a career-high 21.8 points and a league-leading 11.7 assists per game.
He has helped the Pacers become one of this year’s surprise teams in just his second full season in Indiana after being acquired in a trade from the Sacramento Kings, where he spent the first season and a half of his NBA career.
Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton arrived at the 2024 NBA All-Star Tip-Off in an IndyCar
Haliburton, Tamika Catchings (left), Larry Bird (second left) and others participated in the event.
Despite battling hamstring issues this season, Haliburton has led the Pacers to a 31-25 record that currently places them sixth in the Eastern Conference.
He recently joined former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick’s podcast and admitted that if it weren’t for the new NBA rule, he wouldn’t have recovered quickly from an injury.
Regulations require players to participate in 65 games, and log at least 21 minutes in those games, to be eligible for postseason awards, including being named to one of the All-NBA teams.
If Haliburton is named to one of the three All-NBA teams, his max contract taking effect next season will be worth about $260 million, up from $206 million.
Haliburton is averaging a career-high 21.8 points and a league-leading 11.7 assists per game.
Haliburton recently admitted that he recovered quickly from a hamstring strain due to new NBA rules.
“There’s no question,” Haliburton said when Redick asked him if he felt a sense of urgency to return and if the “$53 million incentive” had anything to do with his return to the court.
‘If that?’ Haliburton said. ‘I thought he was ready to go to the Portland game. Our medical staff too.
‘Everyone agreed. But if this had never been the case, he could have said: “Give it one or two more games. Maybe you’ll think about this more. Let’s try to be 100 percent.”
After returning from his injury, Haliburton was limited to 23 minutes in his first four games back on the court to ensure he didn’t re-aggravate the injury, before increasing things to 30 and eventually 34 minutes.