Tyrese Haliburton Sends Bold Message to Pacers

Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA: Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Stockman-Pool Photo via Imagn Images | Matthew Stockman-Pool Photo via Imagn Images

Two-time All-NBA Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton has taken umbrage with a (relatively minor) team issue during what has been a very, very frustrating offseason for the 25-year-old star.

Haliburton, who's hung up recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered during Game 7 of the NBA Finals, recently recorded himself browsing "NBA 2K26."

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While gearing up for a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder (a Finals rematch), Haliburton scrolled through the various alternate jerseys made available for Indiana this season.

Hali’s thoughts on different Pacers uniforms: pic.twitter.com/Kl3QTM9HR6

— HaliMuse (@hali_muse) August 29, 2025

Haliburton seemed to enjoy a lot of the Pacers' prior outfits. He ultimately landed on the "Classic Away '90-'97" jersey option as his apparent favorite.

“If they just went to this — if they just did this, I’m rolling. I’m rolling,” Haliburton declared.

Haliburton also shouted out the retro blue-and-yellow pinstripe away jerseys that succeeded the "Classic Away '90-'97" option, "Classic Away '97-'05."

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"That's hard," Haliburton raved. "That would be dream world."

Haliburton seemed to really dislike Indiana's current away jersey options. He shouted out the Paul George-era "Classic Away '05-'17" look.

“Even that is better than what we got right now,” Haliburton declared.

Should Indiana heed its best player's input by bringing back those two away game jerseys, at least when the 6-foot-5 Iowa State product returns to full strength in the 2026-27 season?

Indiana's adherence to its "Hickory High" alternates has always struck this writer as being fairly strange.

Pacers on Cusp of a Tough 2025-26 Season Sans Haliburton

The Pacers are paying tribute to a great 1986 Gene Hackman movie, "Hoosiers," which itself offered up a fictionalized account of the surprise 1954 Indiana state champion Milan High School team, which vanquished the heavily favored Muncie Central High School. Why not pay tribute to the actual Milan High School squad's jerseys?

The Pacers should at least get creative with their threads heading into 2025-26. Their oncourt product is poised to regress, with Haliburton absent and 3-and-D starting center Myles Turner having absconded to sign with Central Division nemesis the Milwaukee Bucks, whom Indiana knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam, guards Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, and wing Aaron Nesmith will all need to pick up the offensive slack.

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.