2024 All-Star Game

none

Wheat Hotchkiss

In many ways, NBA All-Star 2024 was Tyrese Haliburton's weekend. The 23-year-old was starting the All-Star Game for the first time in his home city, while also competing in two events during All-Star Saturday Night. Add in all his appearances and obligations and Haliburton's fellow All-Stars affectionately nicknamed him the "prom king" of the weekend.

Expectations were high for Haliburton on Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers star did not disappoint, providing the highlight of the night by making five consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter.

He finished the night with 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, going 11-for-15 from the field and 10-for-14 from 3-point range in the East's 211-186 victory.

Haliburton had a strong case to be the first player in franchise history to be named All-Star Game MVP, but that honor went instead to Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, who scored a team-high 39 points, going 11-for-23 from beyond the arc.

Lillard's 11 threes were the second-most ever in an All-Star Game, trailing only Stephen Curry's 16 3-pointers in 2022 in Cleveland. Haliburton's 10 treys are tied for the third-most ever with Jayson Tatum, who made 10 triples en route to a record 55 points last year in Utah. Haliburton broke Paul George's franchise record of nine 3-pointers made from George's 41-point performance in 2016 in Toronto.

The East set a new scoring record for the All-Star Game, becoming the first team ever to eclipse the 200-point mark.

PHOTOS: Tyrese Haliburton's Season in Photos >>

Haliburton got the first All-Star Game in Indianapolis in 39 years off to a memorable start.

He took his first shot at 9:58, knocking down a three from the left corner off a kick out from Bam Adebayo. He ran to the same spot the next trip down the floor, catching a pass from Lillard and draining a trey despite a bump from Nikola Jokic at 9:27.

Haliburton brought the ball up the court the next possession. He pulled up on the left wing and got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to bite on a pump fake before swishing a third straight triple at 9:05.

By that point, the crowd was buzzing and it was clear that Haliburton would shoot until he missed. He got to the left corner again on the next possession, where he hit a step-back three over LeBron James at 8:26. He went into heat-check mode at that point, draining a 35-footer from the NBA logo near center court at 8:26, his fifth 3-pointer in 1:32.

He took a 34-footer on the next possession and finally missed, receiving another round of cheers after a hot streak that even had one of the greatest shooters of all time in Reggie Miller in disbelief on the TNT broadcast.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Miller exclaimed after Haliburton's fifth three. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?"

The Pacers' All-Star guard checked back in for the final 5:44 with the East still in front, 82-67. He didn't attempt a shot for a few minutes, but eventually got an open look in the right corner after Jaylen Brown tapped an offensive rebound in his direction. Haliburton didn't hesitate, quickly knocking down a three from in front of the East bench.

The East headed into halftime up 104-89 with Haliburton registering 18 points on 6-of-7 3-point shooting, three rebounds, and three assists. Only Lillard (22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 6-of-11 from three) had more points at the break.

Haliburton stayed hot after halftime. He hit his seventh three from the right wing with 9:31 remaining in the third quarter, then spotted up in the corner for his eighth at 7:55. He also amassed four more rebounds and two more assists in his first shift of the second half, which ended with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter and the East up 140-119.

The East led 160-136 after three quarters. The West never threatened to make it a real game in the final frame, but Haliburton checked back in for the final 4:37 and thrilled the crowd with one last flourish in the closing seconds.

He hit a 29-foot shot from the left wing with 1:27 remaining for his ninth 3-pointer of the night and got the East to 200 points. His 10th three came 13 seconds later, when he pulled up from 28 feet.

The next time down the floor, Haliburton opted out of attempting another three, instead driving down a wide-open lane and throwing down an exclamation-point dunk.

That got Haliburton within one point of Lillard, but Lillard hit two threes over the final 35 seconds, including a halfcourt shot to cap the scoring.

Lillard was named the MVP to boos from the home crowd, who wanted to see their All-Star take home the honor. Still, it was a highly successful weekend for the Blue & Gold, with Bennedict Mathurin winning MVP in Friday's Rising Stars event and Haliburton, Mathurin, and Myles Turner capturing the Skills Challenge title on Saturday night.

"There was a lot of energy tonight, energy from Pacers fans," Haliburton said. "A lot for us to be excited about. We saw it with Benn starting off with Rising Stars MVP, the Skills Challenge yesterday.

"There's just been a lot of love and excitement through not only our city, but our organization. We just want to carry that momentum into the second half of the season and make a playoff push."

Haliburton now has two All-Star Games in the books and likely many more ahead in his career. He was just three years old when LeBron James — who took part in his 20th All-Star Game on Sunday — made his All-Star debut in 2004. Even as recently as four years ago, he was a relatively anonymous kid from Oshkosh, Wis., his sophomore season at Iowa State derailed by a broken wrist.

On Sunday, he was Indianapolis' favorite son, putting on a show reminscent of Miller in front of his adoring fans in the house that Reggie built.

"Never thought I'd have the success that I'm having," Haliburton said. "So (to) just sit back and reflect, it's really special. I don't take this life for granted. This is a dream come true for me."

tyrese-haliburton-all-star-game-media-availability

Tyrese Haliburton All-Star Game Media Availability

haliburton-dazzles-home-crowd-with-10-threes-in-all-star-game

Haliburton Dazzles Home Crowd with 10 Threes in All-Star Game

Tyrese Haliburton's peers have nicknamed him the "prom king" of NBA All-Star 2024.

The Pacers' All-Star guard has been seemingly everywhere this weekend, as Indianapolis hosts the NBA's signature event for the first time since 1985.

He helped get the weekend started on Thursday night at the Tip-Off event, riding with Conor Daly in an Indy Car from Monument Circle to Bicentennial Plaza. After that, he hustled up to Broad Ripple for a live taping of "The Woj Pod" with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Grant Hill at the Vogue.

On Friday he had numerous appearances across the city, including recording another podcast with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, conducting a Q&A at a screening of his "Pass The Rock" episode, and taking part in the NBA 2K League Alley at NBA Crossover at the Indiana Convention Center.

He was courtside at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Celebrity Game on Friday night, hanging out with 50 Cent and Lil Waye before hustling across downtown to make it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to support his teammates Bennedict Mathurin and Oscar Tshiebwe at the Panini Rising Stars event.

On Saturday morning, he had two practices — first a private one at Lucas Oil Stadium to prepare for Saturday's night's Starry 3-Point Contest. Then he was back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to join his East teammates for a public practice and handle numerous Media Day obligations.

On Saturday night, he'll compete in both the 3-Point Contest and the Kia Skills Challenge, where he will team up with Mathurin and Myles Turner.

And on Sunday, he'll start in the All-Star Game in his home arena, becoming just the fourth Pacer ever to start an All-Star Game.

“It’s been a zoo," Haliburton said Saturday. "It’s been a lot, but it’s been a lot fun...I just do whatever I’m asked to do."

Haliburton is getting some extra attention this weekend as the de facto host of the weekend, but he also would be in the spotlight no matter where All-Star was held.

The 23-year-old guard has emerged as one of the league's next superstars this season. He was thrust into the national spotlight during the NBA's In-Season Tournament, where he led Indiana on a run to the championship game in Las Vegas. He is averaging career-best numbers at 21.8 points and a league-leading 11.7 assists per game and was not only voted to start the All-Star Game, but he led all East guards in fan, media, and player voting.

"It means everything," he told ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth during Friday night's Celebrity Game. "I'm so excited about it. To represent my organization the right way, the Pacers, we haven't had a ton of All-Star starters in general, so to do it in Indy, it's very special."

It's been a meteoric rise to superstardom for Haliburton in his two-plus seasons in Indiana. Just a few years ago, he was an anonymous three-star high school recruit from Oshkosh, Wis. Now, he's one of the biggest names at the NBA's signature showcase, his image plastered on billboards all across Indianapolis next to the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

It's not just Haliburton's play on the court that makes him stand out. There's a magnetism to how he carries himself on the court. When the Warriors were in Indianapolis last week, Steve Kerr (who coached Haliburton last summer with USA Basketball) referenced the "infectious joy" Haliburton has when he plays, which reminded Kerr of Curry. Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, back in town to broadcast All-Star for TNT, sung Haliburton's praises on Friday.

“He brings people together," Miller said. "If you watch Tyrese play, it’s never been about him. It’s been about us. What can we do to win tonight? I think he would be happy with four points and 24 assists and the victory as opposed to a 40-point game in a loss.

"The way his teammates look at him, they look at him like they look at LeBron, they look at him like they look at (Nikola) Jokic, they look at him like they look at Giannis (Antetokounmpo). Like we can do anything with this dude out there. And I see that."

Turner knows better than anyone the unique impact that Haliburton has made on the Pacers and the city of Indianapolis. Over his nine years with the franchise, Turner has played alongside several All-Stars, from Paul George to Victor Oladipo to Domantas Sabonis.

“I think with Tyrese what’s so impressive is everything happened so fast," Turner said on Saturday. "I think he’s someone that got a lot of his success as soon as he got here.

"For some people, they don’t know how to really handle that and the things that come with it. But he’s a Midwest kid and I think that people naturally gravitate towards him just because of his intangibles out there. He’s someone that’s got a great smile, he gets a lot of people involved, he’s very easygoing. I think he’s embraced it really well. I think the city’s embraced him.”

For Haliburton, who is an All-Star for the just the second time, it's still surreal to be a part of the weekend, mingling with the league's other stars, Hall of Famers, and celebrities.

tyrese-haliburton-all-star-practice-media-availability-2

Tyrese Haliburton All-Star Practice Media Availability

“It means the world," Haliburton said. "The respect that I’ve gained from my peers and legends means the world to me. Just to keep meeting people (with) where I’m from that’s not really a thing. There’s no chance that they even know where Oshkosh, Wisconsin is. It means the world to me. I just want to continue to keep doing what I’m doing and getting people’s respect."

After Sunday night, Haliburton will take a few days to get some much-deserved rest before gearing back up for the second half of the season. He has his eye on getting the Pacers back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and playing the first postseason games of his career.

Miller drew lots of attention for comments he made about Haliburton on Friday, when he said that "I really do believe that he can carry this team to a championship."

It was a proclamation more about the Pacers' long-term future than this season, but with Haliburton timelines have a tendency to get sped up.

Haliburton will give up his "prom king" crown after this weekend, but he's on the trajectory to become actual NBA royalty. Maybe sooner rather than later.

haliburton-embracing-being-prom-king-of-nba-all-star-2024

Haliburton Embracing Being "Prom King" of NBA All-Star 2024

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton spoke with the media following All-Star practice on Saturday.

2024 All‑Star Game

Haliburton Dazzles Home Crowd with 10 Threes in All-Star Game

Haliburton Embracing Being "Prom King" of NBA All-Star 2024

Tyrese Haliburton All-Star Practice Media Availability