Four numbers frame the start of Tyrese Haliburton’s story: 6-foot-5, No. 12 in the draft, 17 assists in a college game, and a birthday that comes around only on leap day. The rare date is a nice hook. The better one is how quickly he turned feel, timing and vision into one of the NBA’s most reliable playmaking profiles.
From Oshkosh to a state title
Tyrese John Haliburton was born on February 29, 2000, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Basketball was part of daily life early on. His father, John Haliburton, coached at the middle-school level, and that influence showed up later in the details of Tyrese’s game: the patience, the passing angles, the instinct to read a possession before it fully develops.
At Oshkosh North High School, he grew from a lightly recruited guard into one of the best players in the state. As a senior, he helped lead Oshkosh North to the WIAA Division I state championship, a major moment for both the program and his hometown. Even then, the outline of his game was clear. He was unselfish, vocal, inventive as a passer and comfortable making quick decisions with the ball.
His jump shot also drew attention for a different reason. The release never looked textbook, and it still does not. But the shot went in often enough that aesthetics stopped mattering.
Iowa State and the making of a lead guard
Haliburton arrived at Iowa State in 2018 and made an impact over two seasons with the Cyclones. He was not the kind of college guard who needed to dominate every touch to control a game. Instead, he organized possessions, moved the ball quickly and made teammates better.
As a sophomore, he averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game before a wrist injury ended his season after 22 games. He was named second-team All-Big 12, and he set an Iowa State single-game record with 17 assists against Alabama State. That number captured his identity as well as any scouting report could.
By the time he entered the 2020 NBA Draft, he had become one of the most intriguing guards in the class. Teams saw size, efficiency, defensive activity and advanced vision. They also saw a player who did not need to force offense to influence it.
Draft night and a quick start in Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings selected Haliburton with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He signed his rookie-scale contract later that November and stepped into the league looking more polished than many first-year guards.
He made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020-21 after averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Across parts of two seasons with Sacramento, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 109 games. The numbers were good. The poise may have stood out even more.
Haliburton played with a calm tempo that contrasted with the speed of the league around him. He kept the ball moving, picked off passes, shot efficiently and rarely looked rushed. Sacramento had found a smart young guard. Then, in the middle of his second season, his career changed direction.
The trade that reshaped his path
At the 2022 trade deadline, the Kings sent Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a draft pick. It was one of the league’s biggest in-season moves, and it handed Haliburton a different kind of role.
In Sacramento, he had been a promising young piece. In Indiana, he became the lead organizer of the offense almost immediately.
He averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists in 26 games after the trade, giving the Pacers a clear picture of what their rebuild could look like with him at the center of it. The ball was in his hands more. So was the responsibility.
Indiana and the jump to All-Star level
His first full season with the Pacers turned him from promising guard into one of the NBA’s most productive playmakers. In 2022-23, he averaged 20.7 points, 10.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, earned his first All-Star selection and made All-NBA Third Team.
That season also came with a statistical landmark: he became the first player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from three over a season. It fit the broader picture of his game. He was not just piling up assists. He was doing it efficiently, without wasting possessions.
The next season brought more recognition. Haliburton made a second straight All-Star team in 2023-24, led the league in assists at 10.9 per game and again landed on the All-NBA Third Team. He also helped drive Indiana to the final of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, later renamed the NBA Cup, and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
By then, the Pacers had built an offense around his strengths: pace, spacing, quick reads and trust in the extra pass. Under coach Rick Carlisle, Indiana became one of the league’s most dynamic attacking teams, and Haliburton was the engine.
A deep playoff run and a painful finish
The regular season established his value. The playoffs added weight to it.
Indiana broke through with a run to the NBA Finals, the franchise’s first trip there since 2000. Haliburton’s mix of control and improvisation was central to that push. He could speed a game up without looking frantic, and he could create easy shots for others even when defenses were loaded up for him.
Then came the hardest moment of his career so far. In Game 7 of the Finals, he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, a major injury at the end of the biggest postseason run of his life. It was a brutal finish to a season that had otherwise strengthened his standing as the face of the Pacers.
Contract, salary and business interests
Indiana made its long-term commitment official in July 2023, when Haliburton signed a five-year maximum rookie extension worth up to roughly $260 million, with the base value reported at about $244.6 million. It was the clearest possible sign that the Pacers saw him as the centerpiece of the franchise.
Off the court, he has built a growing endorsement portfolio. Haliburton signed with PUMA and has also been linked publicly to brands including Bose, Finish Line, CherryBundi, Movado and Bath & Body Works. Reports have also connected him to business and media investments, including PlayersTV.
As with many athlete net worth figures published online, outside estimates of his personal wealth vary and should be treated cautiously unless confirmed by the player or his representatives.
USA Basketball experience
Haliburton’s national team résumé began before he reached the NBA. In 2019, he helped Team USA win gold at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Greece.
He later played for the United States at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and was part of the U.S. men’s basketball team that won gold at the Paris Olympics. Even in star-heavy settings, his game translated cleanly. Passing, decision-making and defensive anticipation tend to fit anywhere.
Why his game works
Some guards control a game by hunting shots. Haliburton does it by seeing the floor a beat early.
He is at his best with the ball in his hands, probing until a passing lane opens, then delivering the ball quickly and accurately. His court vision is elite, but it is the combination of vision and restraint that makes him especially effective. He does not force highlight passes for their own sake. He reads what is there.
His size matters too. At 6-foot-5, he can see over smaller defenders and make cross-court reads that many point guards cannot. He is also an efficient perimeter shooter, which keeps defenders honest despite the unconventional release. Add active hands on defense and a knack for jumping passing lanes, and the full profile comes into focus: a big lead guard who can score, create and organize an offense at a high level.
Off the court: family, personality and public life
Haliburton’s basketball roots run through his family. His father coached, and the sport was part of his upbringing long before he became an NBA All-Star. He is also related to former NBA guard Eddie Jones, a family connection that gets mentioned often, though Haliburton’s own style is distinct.
Publicly, he comes across as expressive, funny and competitive. Teammates and opponents have both seen the talkative side of him on the floor. That edge adds color to a player whose game is otherwise built on patience and control.
In his personal life, Haliburton has been in a long-term relationship with Jade Jones, whom he met at Iowa State. Reports and public posts have identified the couple as engaged. Because private-life details can change and are not always formally confirmed in the same way as team transactions, that status is best described as publicly reported rather than treated as a fixed official record.
Some online chatter has occasionally followed him, as it does with many high-profile athletes. Where claims rely on viral clips or social-media rumor rather than verified reporting, they should be treated carefully. The useful facts are the public ones: Haliburton has become one of the NBA’s most visible young guards, and that visibility now extends well beyond the court.
FAQ
How old is Tyrese Haliburton?
He was born on February 29, 2000.
What team does Tyrese Haliburton play for?
He plays for the Indiana Pacers.
What position does Tyrese Haliburton play?
He is primarily a point guard, though he has the size to play alongside another guard.
When was Tyrese Haliburton drafted?
He was selected 12th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Is Tyrese Haliburton an All-Star?
Yes. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Game twice.
Has Tyrese Haliburton won an NBA championship?
No. He has reached the NBA Finals, but he has not won an NBA title.
