Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton, Fever Rookie Caitlin Clark Form Bond in Indianapolis

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton talked about his growing friendship with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton cheers for the Indiana Fever / Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Tyrese Haliburton and Caitlin Clark are two blossoming basketball superstars in Indianapolis. Over the last WNBA season, the two young talents have developed a pretty strong friendship.

Haliburton, who is entering his third season with the NBA's Indiana Pacers, attended a number of Indiana Fever games over the summer. He was part of a record-breaking fan base, which shattered attendance records across the league in 2024.

As a young superstar in Indianapolis, Haliburton says he and Clark have come to be close friends over the last six months. A lot of that has to do with Clark's boyfriend — Connor McCaffery — who was a member of the Pacers' staff during the 2023-24 season.

"I grew pretty close — with Connor McCaffery being an intern with us last year," Haliburton said. "And then I've grown to be pretty close with Caitlin and him. Me, him, her and my girlfriend, Jade, all have a group chat that we all talk in pretty often about everything."

Tyrese Haliburton talks Fever and his growing friendship with Caitlin Clark. pic.twitter.com/anm8FN8yLs

— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) September 30, 2024

It doesn't hurt that both attended college in Iowa. Haliburton was a star at Iowa State University while Clark dominated the NCAA while at the University of Iowa. There are a lot of connections between the two.

"Everybody wants to get more from her, take more from her," Haliburton said. "I don't want to be that. We're friends."

Haliburton made it clear that this wasn't the first year that he's attended Fever games, having gone to a number of contests last year, as well. But he admitted that it's been fun to see the growing interest in Indianapolis' WNBA squad.

"To see the explosion of women's basketball. A big piece of that being the Fever and that being right in my backyard, that was really cool to see," Haliburton said. "I went to as many games as I could."

The Fever finished the regular season with a 20-20 record and reached the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Pacers are preparing for the 2024-25 NBA season, which tips off later this month.

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PODCAST WITH CHRISTINE BRENNAN: Christine Brennan has spent her career writing the biggest sports stories, and the USA Today columnist is tackling another big project — a new book on basketball superstar Caitlin Clark. She talks about all of it — controversies and all — in our Fastbreak Podcast with publisher Tom Brew. CLICK HERE