The Pacers knew when they acquired Tyrese Haliburton from the Kings for Domantas Sabonis that they had a potential building block for the future. They might not have known just how good he would become, though.
Haliburton thrived in an expanded role, developing from a complementary piece into the face of the franchise by his first full season in a Pacers uniform. One of the NBA’s best distributors who exceeded expectations as a scorer, Haliburton gave Indiana a player to build around, rather than just build with.
In just a few short years, Haliburton has placed himself among some of the biggest names in Pacers history — but where does he rank?
Here’s a look at where Haliburton ranks among Sporting News’ 11 greatest Pacers players of all time.
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Where does Tyrese Haliburton rank among Pacers legends?
Haliburton ranks No. 5 on Sporting News’ list of the 11 greatest players in Pacers history.
Still in the early stages of his career, Haliburton has plenty of time to build on that ranking. He’s already on the verge of passing Paul George, according to our point system. Just a bit more longevity could push Haliburton past George, or more playoff success could have the same effect.
Indiana has gotten three full seasons out of Haliburton, and that peak alone places him among some of the best players the franchise has seen. In addition to two conference finals appearances, Haliburton has been an All-Star twice, led the NBA in assists per game once and earned a Third-Team All-NBA selection. With a sparkling assist-to-turnover ratio, Haliburton could prove to be the team’s version of Steve Nash.
For a franchise that hasn’t won a championship since coming over from the ABA and has only one NBA Finals appearance in that span, Haliburton is already rivaling many modern Pacers stars with his playoff success — and his story is still being written.
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Tyrese Haliburton career milestones and achievements
Here’s a complete breakdown of Haliburton’s career achievements.
All-Star appearances with Pacers
- 2022-23 NBA All-Star
- 2023-24 NBA All-Star
Haliburton was named an All-Star in each of his first two full seasons with the Pacers, averaging better than 20 points and 10 assists per game in each season. He was not selected to the 2024-25 NBA All-Star Game after a slow start to the season, but Indiana caught fire late in the year.
All-NBA selections
- 2023-24: All-NBA Third-Team
Haliburton earned his first All-NBA Selection in 2023-24, when he was named to the Third Team. He became the first Pacers player to land on an All-NBA team since Victor Oladipo in 2017-18.
Award voting
Haliburton was a Rookie of the Year finalist with the Kings but has not placed in any major award voting since joining the Pacers.
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Playoff appearances
- 2023-24: Lost in Eastern Conference finals
- 2024-25: Playing in Eastern Conference Finals
Haliburton made his playoff debut in 2024 and took the Pacers to their first Eastern Conference Finals in a decade with series wins over the Bucks and Knicks. Indiana was swept by the Celtics but returned to the conference finals in 2025 with series wins over the Bucks and top-seeded Cavaliers.
Milestones
- 4,362 points with Pacers
- 2,259 assists with Pacers
- Pacers’ single-season assists leader
- NBA assists per game leader (2023-24)
Haliburton set the Pacers’ single-season record for assists during the 2023-24 season, also leading the NBA in assists per game. He already ranks seventh in Pacers history in assists.
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Tyrese Haliburton career stats
Haliburton flashed 3-point efficiency in addition to impressive passing ability in the early days of his career, and he’s been able to remain efficient even in a much larger role with the Pacers. Haliburton averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in each of his first two full seasons in Indiana.
| Season | Team | Games | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | FG% | 3-pt% |
| 2020-21 | Kings | 58 | 13.0 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 47.2% | 40.9% |
| 2021-22 | SAC/IND | 77 | 15.3 | 4.0 | 8.2 | 1.7 | 47.3% | 41.4% |
| 2022-23 | Pacers | 56 | 20.7 | 3.7 | 10.4 | 1.6 | 49.0% | 40.0% |
| 2023-24 | Pacers | 69 | 20.1 | 3.9 | 10.9 | 1.2 | 47.7% | 36.4% |
| 2024-25 | Pacers | 73 | 18.6 | 3.5 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 47.3% | 38.8% |
| Career | 333 | 17.5 | 3.7 | 8.8 | 1.5 | 47.7% | 39.2% |
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Will Tyrese Haliburton be in the Hall of Fame?
Haliburton has a long way to go before the Hall of Fame is a topic of discussion, but he’s on the right track. As a two-time All-Star with deep playoff runs on his resume and the chance to rise up the all-time assists leaderboard if he stays healthy, sustaining his terrific play with the Pacers should be enough to put the Hall of Fame on the table when all is said and done.
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Tyrese Haliburton best highlights
Haliburton came through with a signature moment when he completed a ridiculous Pacers comeback with an overtime-forcing shot in Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference finals. Haliburton hit the Reggie Miller choke celebration, albeit prematurely before the Pacers closed it out in the extra five minutes.
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Haliburton drilled a game-winner to complete another comeback one round earlier, giving the Pacers a 2-0 series lead over the top-seeded Cavaliers.
Another Haliburton highlight, another ridiculous comeback. The Pacers overcame a seven-point deficit in well under a minute to eliminate the Bucks in the first round on this go-ahead layup by Haliburton.
Don’t forget about Haliburton’s passing, either. Here are some of his no-look passes from one game against the Lakers in 2023.
Haliburton crushed the Bucks’ soul in the regular season well, riding a four-point play to a victory over Milwaukee that proved consequential in the standings at the end of the season.
