Brock Purdy and Tyrese Haliburton know each other very well, being fellow former Iowa State Cyclones.
Back in 2020, the then-future San Francisco 49ers quarterback got this message of support from the then-future NBA star:
That post returned to the spotlight after Haliburton's Indiana Pacers shockingly defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 on the road to advance to the Finals of the NBA's In-Season Tournament. Surprisingly, the reception to the old tweet was mixed at best:
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Brock Purdy and Tyrese Haliburton's friendship explained
When one says Brock Purdy and Tyrese Haliburton are Iowa State alums, it goes deeper than that. They are close friends brought together by circumstance.
Back in 2022, the recent All-Star recalled how it began:
“We came into the school together as freshmen. Him on the football team, me on the basketball team so the football and basketball team have to be there in the summer, so I think we just naturally met through being there together.”
By their sophomore season, they were already the leaders of their respective teams. Haliburton eventually forwent his senior year, but Purdy remained until 2021, after which he was drafted last overall by the San Francisco 49ers.
So how does the Indiana Pacer see his fellow ex-Cyclone? He said:
“I would say the biggest thing for me, having watched him for two years, is that he is true to his work. He works really, really hard. I think as a human being and as an athlete, you have times where you struggle and that happens.
“He’s just somebody I’ve always admired the way that he responds to bad games, bad possessions, whatever the case may be. I’ve always admired the way that he can get over those things and move on.”
Brock Purdy speaks up on Seattle Seahawks rematch
The last time the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks fought, it was a 31-13 Thanksgiving rout in the former's favor. But Brock Purdy is not underestimating the latter ahead of their Sunday rematch. He said during Thursday's presser:
"They've got good players, some really good dudes that have a lot of experience and stuff, So for us it's like, 'Man, they can make plays, they're smart, they play a bend but don't break kind of defense'. And so, it's always a challenge when we play them every single time.
"It's not like, 'Oh, we've beaten them, so we're just going to walk in this game.' They're a team right now who needs to win and so do we. It's going to be a dog fight like it always is."
The 49ers-Seahawks rematch can be seen on FOX beginning at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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