Apr 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball while Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) defends during game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Apr 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball while Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) defends during game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Tyrese Haliburton is in a pretty good spot going into his sixth NBA season. After a year of rehab, he’s fully healthy and back in action to help a newly revamped Pacers team reclaim contender status in the East. Even so, that doesn’t mean Hali has no regrets about certain decisions in his past.
Recently, the Pacers star spoke about one of those regrets, and it might not be what you think. In a recent chat with Zach Lowe, he explained his falling out with fellow point guard Damian Lillard, and how much he hates what’s become of a previously cordial relationship.
“What I do regret more than anything is what me and Dame’s relationship has become,” said Hali on the Zach Lowe Show. “Because he was a guy who checked on me a lot early in my career, especially when I got traded… I would love to have a conversation [with Lillard] because I just think it became more than it ever needed to be. Put it on me. I was young, in the moment. I was having fun with it, but it was probably a little much. And whatever happened from there happened.”
Tyrese says he and Dame were cool early on in his career. As Lillard typically does with young, rising point guards, he took Hali under his wing and became somewhat of a mentor for him. But something changed a few years back, during Haliburton’s first years with the Pacers. Specifically, it was one game during the in-season tournament that fractured their relationship.
In the semifinals that year, Haliburton’s Pacers beat the Bucks down the stretch of the game. Hali himself helped to close the deal in the form of a beautiful three-point jumper that practically iced the game. In response, the Pacers guard used Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” celebration in front of everyone.
Haliburton didn’t think much of it at the time, but Lillard saw it as disrespectful. He even commented on the act afterward, saying that while he “respected” the move, the young guard would be better off showing more humility on the floor. What we didn’t know back then was that Lillard’s reaction went beyond just the words. It sounds like he cut him off completely, ending whatever dynamic they might have had. In fact, during another matchup years later, the two were caught brutally trash-talking each other, as if they were heated rivals the entire time.
Ultimately, at this point, after everything Haliburton has been through (Finals run and subsequent Achilles tear), he’s done with petty beefs and rivalries. At 26 years old, he’s got a more mature view on life now, and he regrets wrecking what he had with Lillard. Now, he wants nothing more than reconciliation with the star point guard.
It’s unclear if Dame is willing to forgive and move on from the past, but there’s a lot of wisdom he can offer someone like Haliburton. But unless they bury the hatchet once and for all, they might never get the chance to rekindle their developing friendship.