Tyrese Haliburton puts on charity softball game

Tyrese Haliburton's team included teammates Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell, and Johnny Furphy, and also included Tyler Warren, Cam Bynum, and Jonathan Owens from the Colts. On the other side, it was Colts QB Daniel Jones as the captain, joined by Aaron Nesmith, Jay Huff, and Braden Smith from the Pacers, while Ashton Dulin, Drew Ogletree and others were on the squad from the Colts.

"To bring (this event) back and bring something enjoyable back to the city, it's a lot of fun," Haliburton said before the game. " I'm really thankful for everybody that's here and everybody that's participating. We're very thankful that the Pacers and Colts have a great relationship. Indy being known as such a great sports town, there's a lot of buzz in our city. We understand what we do isn't possible without the people that support us."

Haliburton went on to say he hadn't swung a bat in years, and "my team is either gonna be whack or nice, and I'm not sure which."

It turns out, his team was nice. Haliburton's crew defeated Team Jones by a final score of 28-6. Obi Toppin ripped two homers and their team was able to survive the early deficit at the hands of Daniel Jones.

Before the game, I asked Braden Smith which of his teammates would go deep. He predicted Jay Huff, and he was correct. Despite the pop from the blue team, they were still no match for Haliburton's team in gold.

In addition to the money raised and the joy brought to so many, it was also a chance to hear from several players about a month before camp begins for the next season. As you would expect, the players are very excited for the season ahead.

"We're ready to play our basketball," said Aaron Nesmith. "We've got a lot of talent and want to just keep the scheme the same. First unit, second unit. And just play our brand of ball."

Braden Smith talked about how important the summer was for his development as well as being around this group of players. Jay Huff and TJ McConnell expressed their excitement as the off-season slowly starts to wind down.

It was the perfect night in a great city, with great people. You couldn't have asked for better weather, and it was also perfect timing as the excitement starts to build for the upcoming NFL and NBA seasons. Pat McAfee was the MC of the evening. Mike Epps and Simone Biles joined the fun. Some members of the Indiana Fever were down on the field as well. After the success of this event, the hope is that this will become an annual thing in the city once again.

To learn more or to get involved, visit PacersFoundation.org.