In case you didn’t know, Tyrese Haliburton is a native of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Also, the 23-year-old made his hometown extremely proud after he got the bag from the Indiana Pacers as part of the NBA frenzy on Friday night. Haliburton agreed to a mind-blowing $260 million max extension that will keep him in Indiana through 2030.
The Pacers are one of the Milwaukee Bucks’ rivals in the Eastern Conference, and they have now shown a clear indication of their intention to move forward with Haliburton as their cornerstone star for the years to come. At this point, Indiana isn’t exactly a title contender just yet. However, given the current trajectory of his career, it shouldn’t be long before Haliburton is able to carry this side to new heights.
Tyrese Haliburton Secures The Bag From Pacers
At the onset, $260 million seems like a whole lot of money. Let’s not get it twisted; it is. However, if you consider how much untapped potential Tyrese Haliburton still has, you can’t really say that the Pacers are overpaying here.
Haliburton, who was actually born in Milwaukee on February 29, 2000, had humble beginnings in the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He attended Oshkosh North High Shcool, where he would make his mark in the basketball scene early on. In his senior year, he led his school to a state championship.
Haliburton left his hometown in 2018 as he joined the Iowa State Cycolne’s basketball program. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-5 combo guard was honored as part of the All-Big 12 Conference second team. In 2019, shortly after leading Team USA to the FIBA Uner-19 World Cup title, Haliburton entered the NBA Draft, where he went No. 12 overall to the Sacramento Kings.
After a noteworthy rookie campaign, the Kings decided to trade Haliburton to the Pacers in the middle of the 2021-22 season. He was the centerpiece of a trade package that saw Domantas Sabonis take his talents to Sacramento.
Haliburton took his game to a whole new level this past season, putting up averages of 20.7 points on 49.0 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists, and 1.6 steals, while also connecting on 2.9 triples on a highly-efficient 40.0-percent clip. This led to a much-deserved All-Star debut for him in 2023.
The scary part about all this is that Tyrese Haliburton appears to have barely scratched the surface. If he is able to live up to the lofty expectations the Pacers have on him in the near future, then the $50 million he will be earning per year would probably sound like a bargain.
The Bucks Will Have Their Hands Full With Tyrese Haliburton
Given that the Bucks and the Pacers both play in the Eastern Conference, these two sides will meet multiple times during the regular season. Indiana has missed out on the postseason for three straight years now, but if they are able to surround Haliburton with the right pieces, it shouldn’t be long before they’re back in the playoffs.
Haliburton can probably be seen as a nuisance for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks right now, but they could emerge as a legitimate threat in the East in the (very?) near future.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
