Tyrese Haliburton finally enjoys his rising star NBA moment

He represented the Pacers Friday night at an All-Star showcase and teamed up with Indiana native Desmond Bane for a win.

Tyrese Haliburton was a member of the 2020 NBA Draft class that had an experience unlike any other.

First, the traditional pre-draft process with a combine in Chicago and individual workouts for teams was scratched.

Then, the draft was held in Nov. 2020 rather than in June, like usual, and was virtual because of the ongoing pandemic. So there was no walking across the stage and shaking NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand. Silver read the names at ESPN’s studio and then they jumped to a shot of Haliburton celebrating with family at home after being taken 12th overall by the Sacramento Kings.

Months later, Haliburton was named a Rising Star during his rookie season, but there was no game. Remember… that All-Star Weekend was scheduled to be in Indianapolis but was postponed to 2024. There was an All-Star game, but it was just a one-day event and played without fans.

So this weekend in Cleveland was the first time for Haliburton to be in the spotlight and attend a marquee annual NBA event. He made the short flight over to Cleveland on Thursday and was out by Saturday.

All Rising Stars had a brief media availability on Friday morning. Haliburton spoke for eight minutes yet just two questions were about the Pacers. The rest were quick-hitters on an array of subjects — other players in the game, NFTs, his favorite WNBA players and a series of true/false questions. That’s the variety you get there.

It was after 9 a.m. ET on Friday, yet Haliburton was smiling and engaging. He’s just 21, but he’s such a likable person — beyond his talents — so fans should be proud that he represents Indiana and the Pacers.