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LeBron James Doesn't Hold Back on Tyrese Haliburton Ahead of NBA Finals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 3:33 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton were teammates on Team USA last summer. The two All-Stars helped the United States win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

As Haliburton prepares for his first NBA Finals appearance, James spoke in depth about the Pacers star on the latest episode of "Mind the Game" with Hall of Famer Steve Nash.

James said Haliburton always had a smile on his face despite not playing that much in the Paris Olympics. The leading scorer in NBA history also isn't surprised by how well Indiana is playing right now since Haliburton is the "head of the snake."

"Just a great person, man," James said about Haliburton. "Great kid. Didn't matter if he was playing or if he got the opportunity. He was the same guy every single day. And you could see that his mainframe was soaking in all the knowledge and the details being around all of us.

"And he was just super appreciative every single day. Never changed his mood. When we have practices, we was doing five-on-five and maybe it was a practice where some of the older guys didn't go that day, he was ready to go. If it was a moment in the game where he was called, he was ready to go."

Haliburton has the Pacers in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.

Indiana beat the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks to advance to the NBA Finals.

"But just a great kid," James said. "Every single day, he was the same person. Joking, laughing, high-spirited. Someone that you now, you look at what's going on with the Pacers throughout the regular season and now throughout the postseason, you get it. You get why they are the team that they are and it starts with the head of the snake.

"Hali is one of them ones and the success is not happening just because it came out the blue. It's happening because of Hali."

A two-time All-Star, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists in the regular season. He enters the NBA Finals averaging 18.8 points and 9.8 assists.

The Pacers will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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