Tyrese Haliburton and Reggie Miller have built something bigger than a passing connection between a young star and a franchise icon.
In a new video set to drop on Thursday, Sept. 24, the two Pacers figures spoke openly about how close they’ve become, and Haliburton made clear how much one moment still sticks with him.
“You know, I appreciate our friendship very much,” Haliburton said. “What people don't know, which some of we never really talked about, Game 7 when I got hurt, you and your son came to the locker room at halftime, that will forever be special to me.
I had a group hug in that moment and you let me cry in your arms which I'll never forget. So I'm thankful for you forever.”
Miller’s response framed the relationship in the bigger Pacers picture - the connection between different eras, and the way Haliburton has helped pull the fan base back in.
“I love the blending of eras,” Miller said. “You play for the same thing that I always thought about.
The fans, the city, the state, and you brought us all together back again and all you guys did and how you represent the Pacers blue and gold. It's special and for you guys to be so young and right in the middle of it.
I'm just glad to be along for the ride.”
Miller’s place in Pacers history is already secure. He spent his entire NBA career in Indiana, earned five All-Star selections and three All-NBA nods, and finished with 18.2 points per game in the regular season while knocking down 2,560 3-pointers, which ranks seventh all-time.
He was even better in the postseason, averaging 20.6 points per game and helping lead Indiana to the 2000 NBA Finals, where the Los Angeles Lakers won in six games.
His résumé also includes a Hall of Fame induction in 2012, a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, and a jersey retirement from the Pacers in March 2006.
Miller is now moving into a new chapter in broadcasting. He is set to become a top color commentator for NBC Sports beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season, after a 20-year run with TNT. He called Indiana’s 2025 NBA Finals run on TNT, a stretch that included wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks before the Pacers reached the title round.
That run ended with Oklahoma City beating Indiana in seven games. Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7.
Even with that setback, Haliburton’s 2024-25 season stood out. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, and he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Had A Painful Knicks Confession Pacers Fans Will Feel
Tyrese Haliburtons name still sits at the center of everything the Pacers do, but this week he was talking about a different kind of heartbreak. On the Boardroom Podcast, the Indiana guard opened up about watching the New York Knicks win the NBA championship while he was sidelined by injury, and he didnt try to hide how complicated that moment felt. The reaction came with a mix of anger, happiness and sadness, a reminder that even as the Knicks achievement demanded respect, it also forced him to sit out the playoff run he wanted most.
For Pacers fans, the confession lands with extra weight because the rivalry has been heated enough already, and Haliburtons ties to some Knicks players only add another layer to it. He made clear that friendships can coexist with competition, even when the team on the other side is celebrating the title he was unable to chase. It leaves the same lingering thought that has hung over Indiana since the injury: how different all of this might have felt if Haliburton had been healthy enough to be on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Season May Come Down To One Tyrese Haliburton Question
Yahoo Sports Kevin OConnor pegged the Pacers 14th in his NBA preseason power rankings, a middle-of-the-pack spot that fits a team trying to stay relevant while reshaping the edges of its roster. Indiana is expected to open next season with Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt, Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam on the wing, and Ivica Zubac anchoring the middle, a lineup that looks sturdy enough on paper to keep the Pacers in the mix if the pieces fit.
But the bigger question remains how much of this group can truly be built around Haliburton as the season unfolds. Indiana already paid a real price to get Zubac, sending a first-round pick to the Clippers after the Pacers landed fifth in the draft lottery, and moves like that only matter if the core takes the next step. For a team sitting in that uncertain stretch of the preseason pecking order, the answer to one Haliburton question may end up shaping everything else. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Have One Depth Concern That Could Decide Their Title Push
The Pacers have spent much of this season looking like a team with real upside, but the conversation around their title push keeps circling back to one uncomfortable roster question: who steps up when the rotation gets stressed? Indianas top eight can carry a lot, yet the margin behind them looks thin, with several players either still unproven or carrying the label of draft disappointments, which makes the bench far less comforting than it might appear on paper.
That matters in the postseason, where injuries and foul trouble tend to expose every weak spot, and where contenders often get saved by a surprise role player who was barely on the radar in January. Indiana has plenty to like at the top, but if the Pacers are going to survive the grind and keep pace with the leagues deepest teams, they may need someone from the back end of the roster to become much more reliable than expected. [Read more 🡒]