Tyrese Haliburton Could Enter Exclusive Indianapolis Club With NBA Title Win

The superstar guard could reach heights only one person in the city of Indianapolis has ever reached.

Jun 8, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) during the first quarter during game two of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have never won an NBA title. They were one of the best teams in the ABA, winning multiple championships before merging with the NBA.

The city of Indianapolis has only seen one championship in the last 40 years. The Colts won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season. Since then, they've had chances to win more but have come up empty.

Peyton Manning was rewarded with a statue outside Lucas Oil Stadium for delivering that championship. They lost the Super Bowl in 2009, but they still got one title. The Pacers are looking to give the city another title.

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Tyrese Haliburton can reach immortality in Indianapolis if he wins the Pacers a title

Haliburton has a chance to join Manning's immortality if he and the Pacers are able to win a championship. He is one of the city's most beloved athletes in history.

Winning a championship this season would elevate him into a different stratosphere as far as loved athletes are concerned. Reggie Miller is the only Pacers player who comes close to the love that fans have for Manning.

Miller was never able to win a championship, coming up short in 2000 in his only opportunity to play in the NBA Finals. Haliburton has a chance to surpass him if he's able to win a title.

Haliburton is on track to earn himself a statue if the Pacers are able to close out one of the great teams in NBA history, which the Thunder are by any statistical measure.

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If he's going to do that, he has to play better than he did in Game 2, in which he was not aggressive until the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter.

Haliburton drives the offense in ways that few others do in the NBA. His ability to get into the paint and then find open shooters is uncanny. But for him to do that, he actually has to get into the paint.

If he can solve this Thunder defense, his place in Indiana lore will be solidified faster than anyone thought it would.

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