SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Don’t confuse Tyrese Haliburton’s native “Midwest nice” for weakness.

Instead of seeking the bright lights of New York, Los Angeles or another major NBA market, the Indiana Pacers star signed a five-year, $260 million extension to remain “home” in Indianapolis last year and wants to finish his career there. The NBA All-Star is also proudly the face of the upcoming 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis as well.

And before Pascal Siakam was traded to the Pacers last month, the rising Pacers star made it his duty to protect the small-market franchise by making sure the star forward wanted to be in Indianapolis long-term, too.

“It is such a natural fit because I think they stand for the same things that I stand for,” Haliburton told Andscape in January. “And being from the Midwest, people don’t take pride in those things. People who come to Indy and really accept that and enjoy that, that means the world to the fans and people around. And that was a conversation I had with Pascal, too. It was just like, ‘Yo, I’m calling you to be coming to Indy. Do you want to be here?’ It’s easy for people to say, ‘Yeah, I want to come to Indy.’ They got the budget and they got [salary] cap room to sign you a long-term deal or whatever.

“But I feel like I’m obligated, at the same time, to protect this organization. And I’m a part of this long-term. I hope to be a part of this for the rest of my career. So, it’s just a natural fit for me and it just feels like home. Everything feels like home. My family lives in Indy as well. It’s easy for my friends to hop in the car, tell me they’re coming the night of and just drive down for a game. It’s only five hours, which is nothing to Midwest people. It just fits so naturally and that’s why I love it.”

NBA fans in Indianapolis and worldwide have grown to love Haliburton as well. The two-time NBA All-Star rose to notoriety by leading the Pacers in electric, high-scoring, low turnover fashion to the championship game of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament against LeBron James and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. Haliburton was also named an NBA All-Star starter for the first time for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game after receiving the most votes of any Eastern Conference guard.

Haliburton is averaging 21.8 points, an NBA-best 11.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game entering Thursday. Andscape spoke to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, native last month about his rising stardom, his conversations with Siakam, being the face of NBA All-Star Weekend, his love for Indianapolis, his hopes of playing in the Olympics, the benefits of his and the team success in the NBA in-season tournament, why playing the Pacers isn’t a “walk in the park” and much more in the following Q&A.

“Playing for the Pacers in a small market, you shouldn’t be a lead guard in All-Star votes. That’s not really a thing that happens. But that is just kudos to the success we’re having as a team. People enjoy watching the way we play, so that’s why that is happening.”

You are the face of the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. How much pride do you have in that and how unique is that to have it in the town you star in?

It’s a pretty cool moment. It’s something that I, obviously, take pride in with the love and support that I get from the fans. But it is something that our organization is relishing in because playing for the Pacers in a small market, you shouldn’t be a lead guard in All-Star votes. That’s not really a thing that happens. But that is just kudos to the success we’re having as a team. People enjoy watching the way we play, so that’s why that is happening.

You are an Eastern Conference All-Star guard after finishing first amongst all guards in voting. What are your thoughts on that accomplishment?

Wow. I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was crazy, especially because of the great guards we have in the East. So, to see my name fit in there, it means the world to me. On the road, we’re seeing fans pop up with my jersey on. I would never have seen that [previously] unless it was here, Milwaukee or Indy. So, it’s something that keeps happening on a regular basis and it’s hard to put into words.

When did you first notice on the road that fans were wearing your Pacers jersey?

This season probably in Chicago. Obviously that’s close to Indy, but man, I never seen that many yellow [No.] 0 jerseys or my Iowa State jerseys. Obviously, you’re in the Midwest, so college fans. That’s when it hit me. I was like, ‘Man, there’s a lot of fans here.’ It’s a cool feeling.

Do you credit your rising in popularity to making it to final of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament?

Visibility is everything. It was really documented that those were my first real national TV games. The first time I ever played on TNT was in that tournament. So, that definitely is the main reason. All things success wise come with winning mean. That’s all what it fits into.

How are handling your growing fame?

It’s cool. But it doesn’t really change necessarily the way that I live or the way that I go about my life. More Instagram followers and all that stuff. That’s cool to see. I still got to control what I can control.

Can you talk about the conversations you have had with Siakam about committing to the Pacers long-term? [Note: Siakam, an unrestricted free agent this summer, is expected to re-sign with the Pacers in the offseason, a source told Andscape]

We definitely had a talk pre- and post-trade. The conversation was definitely just like, ‘You’re going to Indy. Is that OK with you? Be honest with me. He’s not the first person I’ve asked that question to. There are people that have been mentioned for us or people I’ve had conversations with. It’s different when you talk about it. And if I were to talk to everybody in the NBA right now and ask do you want to be in Indy? ‘No! I don’t want to be in Indianapolis.’

But that’s just messing around whatever. When it actually comes to your doorstep and you got to make that decision, I just want to know that people are dialed in. ‘P’ [Siakam] has been as upfront with me as he can. That’s why I’m excited for him to be here.

What would you tell people coming to Indianapolis for All Star that may not be too excited?

The big thing I say is Indy is that it is more than capable of holding a large event. They’ve had Super Bowls. They’ve had Final Four’s. So, I think the thing about we were at Salt Lake [City] last year, for example. People were just like, you can’t really take all the people in. It was kind of had a weird feeling to it whereas with Indy it definitely has that capability. They got enough hotels. They got enough things to do. And with All-Star, people come to All-Star events, pop up at All-Star, Nike’s going to have their thing, [NBA] 2K.

All these companies have their own little or deals, but Indy is more than capable to do it. And I think people just don’t realize that because when you come on the road in the middle of January or February, you’re not super excited to be playing Indianapolis.

When you were traded to Indianapolis two years ago, you were initially very disappointed about being traded from the Sacramento Kings. When did you buy to playing for the Pacers in Indianapolis?

I would just say when I first got there I was still just so distraught. I felt like a zombie through the first practices and the MRI. I couldn’t necessarily grasp what happened. You know what I mean? When I first got dealt, it was like I couldn’t believe what was going on. So, me and Josh [Corbeil], our trainer, was talking about how Pascal has to get four MRIs today. I don’t remember ever having that conversation with Josh. I was still just so pissed off. I don’t remember him calling me. I don’t remember anybody from Indy.

I don’t remember our first conversation with [Pacers general manager] Chad [Buchanan] or [president Kevin] Pritchard. I don’t remember none of that. I was just so mad. It just probably took a few weeks. The moment my family got to be there and telling me the stories of people approaching them. And then I’m going to restaurants in Indy and people are coming up and talking to me. It took a few weeks to grasp really fully everything that had happened. But once that happened and I got my apartment and then I bought my house, it just kind flowed. I’m in. I’m all in.

What is it about Indy that makes you ‘all in?’

Well, it’s what I grew up in. The people. It’s like home. People always say, ‘Midwest nice.’ It’s a real thing. You walk past people, you make eye contact, you say hello. That was the transition of coming to California. It’s not like that. People aren’t necessarily like that. So going back to being around people like me who grew up like me, that’s why it’s just fits so well.

You went from not being heavily recruited in high school to starring at Iowa State to being passed over by 11 teams in the 2020 NBA draft to becoming an NBA star to becoming the face of All-Star Weekend. What can be learned from your story?

The biggest thing that I always tell people back home when they ask me to speak to people back home is I hope that I inspire people back home, people who look at my story to just chase and do what they want to do in life, whatever that is. And don’t put a limit on what is possible. When I grew up, I was saying I wanted to be an NBA player. And I grew up with the guidance counselors telling me, ‘Pick something realistic. That doesn’t happen for people from here.’ And I’m able to accomplish that.

I tell kids back home, it doesn’t matter what your dream is, just go chase it because it’s possible. Anything is possible and I’m living proof of that. I worked my tail off to get to where I am and that is a big reason for the success that I have had. But it’s possible for anybody.

Who was your sports role model in the Oshkosh area? Did you have a Tyrese Haliburton-type?

No. I definitely didn’t. For me, it was like I see kids in my area and go to play Division I basketball or Division II, and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I want to do that.’ But in terms of a pro, that didn’t happen and that’s why I take grassroots basketball and that stuff so serious back home. I got a girls program; I got a guys program. I’m planning my whole summer right now around them, around being at their tournaments, being at practices because it means the world to be there with those kids. They can see that I grew up how you guys grew up and look at where I am. It’s possible for you as well.

What was your toughest day growing up in during the route of your NBA dream?

I got cut from my AAU team with [now Miami Heat guard] Tyler Herro my freshman year. So going into high school, I have eighth grade my last year with them and I got cut before freshman year started. Our AAU program at the time was Wisconsin United. And then we were going back to Playground Warriors and they kind gave me a half offer like, ‘Oh, you can come if you want to.’

So, then I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I played for a new team, never met any of the kids before. Never met the coach before. And it just happened for me. But that was when it hit me because everybody was getting better and I was kind of feeling like I was bottoming out, leveling out. And then at that moment it was like, ‘OK, I got to lock in. If this is what I want to do, I got to take it serious now.’ So that definitely was the toughest time for me getting cut from my team and having to go separate ways.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we can be a conference finals team, no doubt in my mind that we have that capability. And again, I don’t even want to say that because I don’t want to put a limit on it. I think that teams already know when they see us it’s not a walk in the park.”

When did you know you could be an NBA player?

Probably the end of my freshman year of college. My name was on some mock drafts. I remember that you could submit a thing to the NBA and GMs will tell you where they think you’ll get drafted. I’ll never forget that people wanted me to test the waters my freshman year. And I was like, no chance.

But I submitted that thing and it said 33% first round, 33% second round, 33% undrafted. And I was like, ‘It’s possible, 66% of people think that I have a chance. But I think in that summer I got to play USA with [Cade] Cunningham, Jalen Green and [Jalen] Suggs and Scottie Barnes. They’re calling these kids pros so then I’m like, ‘I’m a pro too.’ So that’s when I knew.

Do you want to be on USA Basketball 2024 Paris Olympic team?

One hundred percent.

Do you feel like you’ve proven enough to show that you deserve to be in Paris?

I think that I have. And I think that they understand that I want to be a part of the future of USA Basketball moving forward. That’s something that I take pride in and I feel like I had a good showing last summer [at the 2023 FIBA World Cup]. But we didn’t win. We didn’t do what we wanted to do.

So, to have that opportunity to go do that again on the grand stage, that would mean the world to me. So yeah, there’s not a question in my mind. I’ve always said I want to put a USA Basketball jersey on and to play in the Olympics, especially growing up seeing all those guys playing. Those are all my role models growing up. So, to be a part of that would be pretty cool.

With yourself, Siakam, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin, how good can the Pacers be this season?

I’m not going to put a limit on it because I think that we can see, especially with getting another guy, see how it looks. And I think that there’s a lot of success that can come if guys buy into the right role. And it takes a while for people to transition to roles, but I think with the depth of this group and the relationships that we have with each other, it’s just going to fit so seamlessly.

I have no doubt in my mind that we can be a conference finals team, no doubt in my mind that we have that capability. And again, I don’t even want to say that because I don’t want to put a limit on it. I think that teams already know when they see us it’s not a walk in the park. That was established last [season] with the way we played. And now add another guy like Pascal and with the success that I’m having and the success that everybody on our team is really having this year, it ain’t a walk in the park at all. So, I’m excited about that. We all are. And we’re just going to keep growing as a group and see what we can do.