Tyrese Haliburton Issues Strong Statement on Pascal Siakam After Conference Finals MVP Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 1:36 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers acquired Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors last season. The blockbuster trade paid off, as Indiana made the conference finals.

The Boston Celtics swept the Pacers in the conference finals last year, though. Some thought Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton couldn't play together since Indiana was thoroughly outplayed by Boston.

However, the Pacers are in the NBA Finals this year after beating the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Siakam, who won the 2019 championship with the Raptors, was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 24.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks against the Knicks.

After the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals and Siakam won the Larry Bird Trophy, Haliburton spoke about how important Siakam is to him and the Indiana franchise.

“When we brought him here, we had a vision,” Haliburton said, via The Athletic. "We envisioned doing something like this, doing something special. It’s just really special that he’s been here.

"He’s been like a big brother for me, someone I can really trust, somebody that I can really lean on and talk to, and just somebody who can always keep me steady.”

The Pacers play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. Siakam and Thunder guard Alex Caruso are the only players in this year's NBA Finals who have won a championship.

Siakam averaged 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Pacers during the regular season.

The three-time All-Star is averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the 2025 playoffs.

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

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