The spotlight has been shining brightly on Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers lately.
The star player has been a key part of his team’s strong run through the playoffs, including their current dominant 3-1 hold on their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Sunday, Haliburton spoke with the press and talked about navigating fame and the pushback and the criticism that he hears.
“It’s just basketball, bro. I love what I do. I love my job. There’s always commentary behind what I do, positive or negative. I’m just a basketball player. Criticism, sometimes it’s warranted, sometimes it’s not, but it’s all a part of it. I’d rather have you guys talk about me positively [or] negatively than not care about who I am at all. Life’s good,” Haliburton said.
"It's just basketball bro… I love what I do. I love my job… criticism is sometimes warranted, sometimes it's not… it's all a part of it."
Tyrese Haliburton on navigating stardom ? https://t.co/OqexoD1gox pic.twitter.com/NMiKR1ONju
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2025
Haliburton has heard it all throughout his career, and definitely this season.
When 2024-25 kicked off, Haliburton was fresh off a busy summer playing with Team USA in the Paris Olympics.
But his NBA season started in a rough manner, and some people said he wasn’t looking great and was far too inconsistent.
They expected more from him and didn’t know how the Pacers would be able to get far without him playing better.
If all that noise was bothering Haliburton, he didn’t let it be known.
Instead, he continued to believe in himself and push his team, and now they are just one win away from returning to the Eastern Conference Finals.
If they are able to do that, no one will be able to deny that this is a very special team, even if it isn’t as flashy as others.
They might not get the same attention in the regular season, but the Pacers have been remarkably consistent during the last two postseasons.
Haliburton understands that he will hear bad reviews from naysayers, but he doesn’t mind because he knows it’s all part of the job and is focused only on winning.
NEXT: Pacers Coach Gets Honest About Bennedict Mathurin's Ejection
