With a month to go before training resumes, NBA stars are in the midst of a promotional phase for some like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum in China, or supervising their camps like Ja Morant and Tyrese Haliburton. Olympic champion in Paris, the Pacers point guard is back home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and he spoke about his relationships with his prestigious partners.
Like the All-Star Game, national team gatherings are a golden opportunity to recruit, and Haliburton has indeed been approached. “There are probably things that will come of this… They tried to recruit me but I won't budge!” he reveals, before being ironic about his own approaches. “I basically recruited them all! If anyone wants to come to Indiana, I’m all for it!”
Creating Lifelong Friendships
More seriously, he will not forget this competition alongside some of the greatest players of all time, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. “The most important thing I took away from them was the seriousness they put into their routines,” Haliburton continues. “You just have to see how routine they are, how they treat their physicality and how they are able to do what they do at such a high level at their age.”
And it's not just basketball, as Haliburton, 24, has befriended some of them. “It’s fun to be around these guys and it creates lifelong relationships and friendships,” he concludes. “Steph and I were texting the other day, and it’s amazing to me because he’s someone I’ve been looking up to since I was in middle school. It’s really nice to have a real relationship.”
