OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — It’s been a special year for former Oshkosh North star Tyrese Haliburton.
He helped the Indiana Pacers reach the Eastern Conference finals and he helped Team USA win a gold medal at the Olympics.
He was back in Oshkosh this week visiting his hometown.
“One of our coaches is here with Pacers and I was like let me take you to my late night spot and I took him to QuikTrip,” Haliburton laughed.
From his time at Oshkosh North, then moving on to Iowa State University, to being the face of the Franchise for the Pacers, the last few years for Haliburton have been a whirlwind.
“Thank god I have the people around me that keep me grounded and keep everything in perspective to understand the things that I’m doing I could only have dreamt of, so it really means the world,” he said.
Winning a gold medal with Team USA a few weeks ago meant a lot to him, as it’s something only a select few players can say they have done.
“To be a part of that crew that I think is one of the greatest American basketball teams that we have ever put together – for me to be a part of that, I think it’s amazing,” said Haliburton. “It’s something that I’m going to look back on.
As for what he learned from being teammates with some of the NBA’s greatest like Steph Curry and Lebron James – is how serious they are about their routines.
“I think that’s the biggest thing I’ll take from it is just how they treat their bodies and how they’re able to do what they do at such a high-level at their age,” said the Pacers star. “It’s a goal of mine to play this game until the wheels fall off and following in those guys footsteps I think is important.”
Now that Haliburton has won a gold medal he has his sights set on one goal and one goal only.
“It would mean the world to win a championship and not just win a championship, win a championship in Indiana,” Haliburton said. “That’s the goal and just keep taking steps to get there.”
