Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Reflects on NBA All-Star Nod: 'Wasn't Supposed to Be Here'

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career Thursday night and took to social media to discuss what the honor meant to him.

Haliburton will join Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid in the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference, as the NBA reverts to a standard East vs. West matchup.

An All-Star reserve last year, Haliburton has blossomed into a true superstar in 2023-24. He was averaging 23.6 points, 12.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game before going down with a hamstring injury that's cost him eight of Indiana's last nine games.

The Pacers said Haliburton will be re-evaluated after Friday's game against the Phoenix Suns. It's expected he will be back on the floor well in advance of next month's All-Star Game, but if the injury lingers at all, he could be a candidate to drop out and give himself some rest.

Haliburton is the first Pacer to be named an All-Star starter since Paul George in 2016. He's one of only four players in franchise history to receive the honor, joining George, Jermaine O'Neal and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.

"Being named a starter is a big deal," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "It just puts you in another class, in another category. The fact that it's three groups, fans and media and players, makes it even more meaningful."

Haliburton led all Eastern Conference guards in voting by more than one million votes. Luka Doncic was the only backcourt player in the NBA to receive more votes than Haliburton.