Tyrese Haliburton led his Indiana Pacers to a 4-1 series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. This came as a shock to many, as the Cavs were the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Related: NBA fans react to Pacers reaching the Eastern Conference Finals
After the series ended, Haliburton revealed that he reached out to LeBron James, the greatest player in Cavs’ history.
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“I just feel like I may be part of a dying breed in our league,” Haliburton said. “I feel like I’m a true pass-first point guard. I feel like that’s not common these days. But I just try to play the game the right way, I want to play the right way, and I want to win, that’s the most important thing for me.
“So I’m sure it’s easy, like Bron said, people would want to play with me, like yeah, for winning, I’m sure people would love to play alongside me.”
“The LeBron thing was really cool, we texted back and forth last night. I’ve grown a lot of cool relationships from that Olympic experience, and it’s been really cool. But we’re still not done, and there’s still a lot to go.”
"I texted with @KingJames after the game last night and it was pretty cool..
I wanna play the game the right way and I wanna win" ~ @TyHaliburton22 #PMSLive https://t.co/N1gSxcE8bc pic.twitter.com/aXPpVmVSXB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 14, 2025
Haliburton has a lot of respect for LeBron, the player he cited as his favorite growing up. LeBron also respects Haliburton, as the two have developed a relationship since playing together for Team USA in 2024.
If Haliburton stays focused on proving his doubters wrong, the Indiana Pacers have a strong chance of reaching the NBA Finals. It would mark their first appearance in the championship series since 2000.
