ALL-STAR GAME

February 18, 2024

Tyrese Haliburton

Eastern Conference

Press Conference

East 211, West 186

Q. Really huge weekend for the city of Indiana. How do you think this will translate going back into the regular season to close out?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: I think there's a lot of energy in the building, a lot of energy from Pacers fans, a lot for us to be excited about.

You saw what Ben started off with Rising Stars MVP. Won the Skills Challenge yesterday. There's been a lot of love and excitement through not only our city but our organization as well.

We just want to carry that momentum through the second half of the season and make a playoff push.

Q. I believe this year you can actually celebrate your birthday.

TYRESE HALIBURTON: I can.

Q. Can you describe how much your life has changed from four years ago to now?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Last time it was my birthday, I was in college, broke my wrist. Never thought I would be here. Knew that at that time that my wrist was broken. I knew I was going to go to the NBA, but never thought I'd have the success I'm having.

As I reflect back, it's really special. I don't take this life for granted. Yeah, it's a dream come true for me.

Q. Ty, just take us through the game in general. Obviously go 5-of-5 from three for the start. What were you looking for from the beginning? How good did it feel getting those first couple to go in? And were you just shooting to see how far were you going to go until you missed?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: I was just going to keep shooting until I missed. Having fun playing basketball. I didn't know how many minutes I was going to play, didn't know how my leg would feel. I felt good today, even after the one-leg dunk. So that's positive for me.

Obviously it wasn't high intensity at all. It feels good that I felt good, and hopefully I can continue that moving forward.

Q. Earlier today, LeBron was saying, when he was young and he had to be the face of a franchise, that was a lot of pressure for him, and he felt very stressed. In a weekend where all the attention is on your franchise and you are the face of that franchise, you seem to be dealing with very well. How are you adapting to being the face of this franchise and putting on a show for your hometown?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: I think I've handled it pretty well, but just as professional athletes in general -- (microphone interruption). My bad. I don't know what's going on up here.

But to answer your question, I think as professional athletes, we're human beings at the end of the day. I think what you put off surface level is different than -- we're all humans and we all have emotions and good days and bad days.

I think the reason I've had success leading my franchise is the people around me and the trust that's put in me, it's a big responsibility for me, and I'm completely understanding of that. Yeah, just trying to do a good job with it.