Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton finally a winner after gold medal with Team USA

Haliburton helped Team USA win a gold medal

Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; United States guard Tyrese Haliburton (9) shoots against Brazil in the fourth quarter in a men’s basketball quarterfinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

It's November 30, 2023, and Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton is having the game of his life. The Pacers are in Miami, and the Heat can't stop the then-23-year old. At halftime, Haliburton had 28 points and four assists. He ended the night with 44 and 10, respectively, and that is still Haliburton's career-best scoring night to this day.

Despite being up by as much as 13 points in that game and leading with about 10 minutes to go, Indiana lost during Haliburton's explosion. The Heat scored 45 points in the fourth quarter, which spoiled the terrific outing. Despite the eye-popping numbers, he directed his feelings toward the result in his postgame media session.

"All the individual stuff is cool. I've accomplished a lot individually already... but individual success is nothing at this point," Haliburton said. "I just want to win. I'm tired of being a loser."

Just over eight months later, Haliburton has shed his self-imposed loser label. Saturday, the Pacers star and the rest of Team USA finished their run to a gold medal in Men's Basketball during the 2024 Olympics. The red, white, and blue took down France to win the gold in the tournament — Haliburton, despite not playing much, contributed throughout the event..

In total, the Pacers All-NBA ball handler played the fewest minutes and games of anyone on the United States roster. But that doesn't matter. Just like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and the rest of the group, Haliburton was on the roster. They all get a gold medal and are winners.

"More than anything." Haliburton said before heading to Team USA training camp when asked how bad he wants to take home the gold.

Indiana's star has referenced his losing background multiple times before. In college at Iowa State, his Cyclones went 35-32. Their NCAA Tournament fortunes were poor. His high school groups didn't win as much as some expected, falling short even with Haliburton's high-end abilities — though his group did win in 2018. The Oshkosh native was one of the best players in Wisconsin, but that didn't come with team success. The AAU level went similarly, and the Pacers lost in the In-Season Tournament title game last season.

Indiana's star has also expressed his dismay for Team USA's 2023 World Cup result. Last summer, Haliburton played for the United States in that event, and he was one of the team's best players. They did well in the group stage of the tournament, but the red, white, and blue struggled in the knockout bracket. They closed the World Cup with two-straight losses and finished in fourth place — they didn't earn a medal or play for the World Champion title despite being considered one of the favorites.

"Obviously last year, we didn't do what we wanted to do, and that was frustrating," Haliburton said earlier this offseason.

Now, those are just unfortunate memories for Haliburton. Front and center in his mind will be his gold medal run with Team USA. He had a first-row seat for all of it, including hitting the hardwood himself in three games during the Olympics.

"Coming back this year with USA Basketball, I know we don't have any other expectations but to win," he said.

Haliburton earned his spot on the roster by playing well during the World Cup and impressing the Team USA coaching staff. He followed it up with an All-NBA season. His ascent during the last 15 or so months has been remarkable, and at times unstoppable.

His passing and shot creation talents warranted a spot on Team USA, and he got it. Those traits aren't as important on a team filled with isolation masters and NBA stars, but they are still useful — especially as the second-youngest player on the squad. Haliburton is certainly in the mix for future Olympic spots.

During the USA Basketball Showcase, he took advantage of his opportunity with the squad and operated as the reserve point guard. But as Derrick White joined the group and the rotations changed elsewhere, there wasn't room for Haliburton to play. The rotation wasn't big enough to play everybody — Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, White, and even Bam Adebayo had their minutes impacted by that math problem, too.

"I would say most of our other guys are kind of combo [guards] — Steph [Curry], Jrue [Holiday], LeBron [James] is kind of a point forward. Tyrese is really a floor general, your traditional point guard," Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said.

Haliburton's best Olympic game was a six-point performance vs South Sudan. Playing time can be discussed in the future, but results are what matters. And Haliburton was a part of a team that delivered results. They are gold medalists and will be forever.

When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A🏅 pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024

"The game is in great hands," Team USA star LeBron James said of Haliburton. "For me, Steph (Curry), KD [Kevin Durant], AD [Anthony Davis], for us to be on a team with (Anthony) [Edwards] and Tyrese is just super cool that we can not only show by example, but also just be around them. They have their thing going as well, so we don't step on their toes or anything of that nature," he added. "We just hope we can continue to set a standard for them of what excellence is all about because they're already excellent. And we'll see if they can carry it on and be great for as long as they want to be, too."

That note comes from Haliburton's favorite player growing up. For a moment in time, they were teammates that achieved something special. For the rest of time, Haliburton is a winner.

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• Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Team USA take down France for a gold medal. CLICK HERE.
• Pascal Siakam focusing on little details this offseason, agent says he's headed for a 'big year' with Pacer. CLICK HERE.
• Forward Enrique Freeman agrees to a two-way deal with Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Andrew Nembhard leaves 2024 Olympics ready for takeoff with Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
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