“I left in tears because I was so embarrassed!” – How a childhood snub drives Tyrese Haliburton’s NBA ambition

Tyrese Haliburton has become one of the top guards in the NBA, earning him third-team All-NBA honors last season.

“I left in tears because I was so embarrassed!” – How a childhood snub drives Tyrese Haliburton’s NBA ambition

Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton, star point guard for the Indiana Pacers and Team USA, revealed in an interview with GQ that a decade-old cut from his AAU team in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is the source of his internal motivation.

Haliburton shared with Andrew Greif that he was essentially told he could join the team only if he wanted to, which he considers a worse feeling than being directly cut.

They never said that I was cut, but my parents told me that it was essentially like, ‘He can come if he wants to. So, like—that, I think, was worse. I left in tears because I was so embarrassed of what was going on.
Tyrese Haliburton said

This experience has driven Tyrese Haliburton to become one of the top guards in the NBA, earning him third-team All-NBA honors last season with averages of 20.1 points and 10.9 assists on 47.7% shooting.

Haliburton continues to push himself, leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals and preparing to compete in the Paris Olympics with Team USA, all while fueled by the motivation from that early setback.

Tyrese Haliburton phased out of Team USA rotation despite strong start

Tyrese Haliburton was selected to play for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics but has been slowly phased out of the rotation by head coach Steve Kerr. Despite a strong start in the first exhibition game against Canada, Haliburton’s minutes have decreased with each subsequent game.

Kerr appears to value defense over Haliburton’s offensive skills, opting for Derrick White instead. However, the second unit has struggled without Haliburton’s playmaking abilities, and his absence has been noticeable.

With Kevin Durant set to return from injury, Haliburton’s chances of regaining a spot in the rotation seem slim. Despite this, Haliburton is unlikely to cause any internal strife, and the team will need to address their on-court issues, particularly after close calls in their last two exhibition games.

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