PARIS, France — Tyrese Haliburton is a name many Iowans will recognize as the Iowa State basketball product certainly left his mark on the program.
Now, as the 2024 Paris Olympics have ended, he stands as the only previous ISU men's basketball player to win a gold medal.
The superstar freshman for ISU set a record for most assists in a game for the program with 17 and ranked nationally alongside Zion Williamson who would go on to be drafted first overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Haliburton would only play two years for the Cyclones, declaring for the 2020 NBA draft where he would be drafted by the Sacramento Kings 12th overall.
Later, he would be traded to the Indiana Pacers where he currently shines as a talented point guard when not winning Olympic gold.
Haliburton averaged 20.1 points and 10.9 assists for the Pacers this season, leading Indiana into the NBA playoffs.
Born in 2000, the 24-year-old who is spry when compared to Team USA counterpart 39-year-old Lebron James, was announced as an Olympian earlier this year.
However, over the course of Team USA's gold medal run, Haliburton would play just 26 total minutes, score only 8 points at a 60% made rate, snag 2 assists and not play in 3 games.
This was first chalked up to the fact that the team was stacked with talent, but it turns out that he had a minor leg injury as well. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Team USA did not announce the fact, but Haliburton had an MRI done during he Olympics.
While the performance for Haliburton was limited, the treasure he returns home with is bountiful.
He certainly had a good time in Paris and was able to joke about his lack of playing time while still walking away with the greatest prize. With his youth and continued high-performance in the NBA he will likely be back in red white and blue when the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics begin.