Tyrese Haliburton and $37,756,096 star hilariously trade jabs over thunderous dunk

Indiana Pacers forward Tyrese Haliburton and Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield may be rivals on the court, but their bond off the court is quite strong. So it wasn't surprising to see the two indulge in playful banter on Instagram on Friday after the Warriors' win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Buddy Hield posted a clip of a dunk he made during the game on his Instagram Story and then playfully called out Tyrese in the captions:

"Ahhh shiiii @tyresehaliburton ik you see me"

Buddy Hield/Instagram

Haliburton responded by jokingly denying that he saw his friend's brilliant feat.

"Never seen it!"

Tyrese Haliburton/Instagram

That's one way to avoid praising your friend when you don't want to. Now we will have to see if Hield stays adamant about getting his flowers from the Pacers star.

Hield, who is on a four-year contract worth $37,756,096 (Spotrac), and Haliburton were once teammates, even though they are in different conferences at the moment. Initially, they played together for the Sacramento Kings before being traded together to the Indiana Pacers for a deal that sent Domantas Sabonis to the Kings in 2022

Their relationship didn't have a perfect start. Haliburton once said that he "hated" playing with Hield during his rookie season with the Kings as he found the latter's ball-dominant style frustrating.

However, their relationship improved significantly after they both joined the Pacers. Haliburton has praised Hield's energy as they played together for four years, with the veteran guard slowly becoming a mentor and a "big brother" figure to Haliburton.

Hield recorded 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in the 111-95 road win over the Pelicans. He is currently averaging 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for the No. 7 placed Warriors.

Haliburton, on the other hand, led the Pacers to a dominant 162-109 away win against the Washington Wizards recently. He recorded 29 points, two rebounds and six assists.

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Tyrese Haliburton opens up on his early season struggles

Haliburton made a slow start to the 2024 season, but he has now found the form that earned him two All-Star appearances. The Pacers star was honest when he spoke about his recent struggles to the Athletic on January 10, 2025.

“I got too caught up in outside noise and allowing myself to think such negative thoughts about myself internally,” Haliburton shared with The Athletic. “It was the first time in my life that I had real self-doubt behind everything I was doing. … I feel like my personal struggles were leading to the team’s struggles.

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards - Source: Imagn

Last year, Tyrese led the Pacers to their first postseason appearance in three years. They reached the Eastern Conference semifinals before being swept 4-0 by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.

This season, the Pacers (43-30) are currently fourth in the East and are on their way to a second consecutive postseason appearance.