Watch: Tyrese Haliburton & other Indiana Pacers look silly getting tricked by jump game
Tyrese Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers teammates had a humorous moment on Sunday. The media crew challenged the All-Star guard and his teammates to jump without bending their knees, and the results were comical.
Haliburton, Obi Toppin, Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and Andrew Nembhard struggled to jump without bending their knees, but, as seen in the video shared on the Pacers' social media, they had a great time.
Tyrese Haliburton explains why the Indiana Pacers wanted to sign him
Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as the undisputed leader of the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have become his team, and he is the one that runs the majority of plays. Meanwhile, his numbers in scoring and assists have been among the best in the league.
The 23-year-old point guard is under a very lucrative, five-year deal with Indiana, worth a total of $260 million, that will keep him with the franchise through the summer of 2029.
Recently, Haliburton spoke about what made the franchise pick him and what he brings to the team.
"I play a style of basketball that people want to play," Haliburton said. "I think that’s part of the reason why they signed me to the deal they signed me to."
"I’ve got long-term stability here because they know that I can help bring people here—not only with who I am as a basketball player, but who I am as a person," Tyrese Haliburton said, via The Ringer.
The All-Star guard has gotten high praise from players and coaches for the way he plays, while Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, also had nothing but great words for the Pacers' superstar. Miami and Indiana split wins in their two-game series on Thursday and Saturday.
"I think that's the Halliburton effect," Spoelstra said via Clutchpoints. "He just makes everybody around him more confident and they play aggressively. I think probably everybody really started noticing as soon as the trade happened, and then you realize that he [Haliburton] could become a face of a franchise and you could build around him."
"He's a winning player, winning personality, he has just has a way of galvanizing everybody, they love playing with him. It's hard not to like that. You have an opportunity to put up bigger numbers than you normally would just because of his vision and willingness. And then probably the most underrated part of this game is his ability to score."
Tyrese Haliburton has appeared in 16 of Indiana's 18 games with averages of 27.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 11.8 apg, shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three.
The Pacers have won 10 of their first 18 games and will now host the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday in the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. However, Haliburton is questionable due to an upper respiratory illness.