Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton gets candid about his friendship with Fever star Caitlin Clark

Tyrese Haliburton addressed his relationship with WNBA star Caitlin Clark with the press at the Indiana Pacers‘ media day. When asked about the Indiana Fever guard, Haliburton didn’t shy away from praising Clark’s impact, as well as giving insight on their friendship, as well with her boyfriend Connor McCaffery.

“I’ve grown pretty close with Connor McCaffery. I’ve grown to be pretty close with Caitlin and him. Me, her, him, and my girlfriend Jade all have a group chat that we talk in pretty often,” Haliburton shared. “It’s been cool to grow a friendship with her. Everybody just wants to get more from her, take more from her, get more answers to things, and I don’t want to be that. We’re friends,” he explained.

Haliburton acknowledged his support for the Fever, explaining that he was attending their games even before Clark’s arrival. “I went to Fever games before this last year… So to see the explosion of women’s basketball and a piece of that being the Fever in my backyard, I think it was really cool to see,” he said.

Reflecting on Clark’s rookie season, Haliburton commended her growth and the Fever’s promising trajectory. “It’s really cool to see her growth this last year and the Fever as a whole,” he added. “It’s unfortunate that they lost, but they’re a young group, and they will be back for more success,” he said of Fever’s loss in the first round of the playoffs.

Clark, who joined the Fever in 2024 as a rookie, had an impressive season, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. At just 22 years old, she was named a WNBA All-Star, becoming a centerpiece in the Fever’s rebuild.

Haliburton’s own season was notable

Haliburton’s own season with the Pacers was also noteworthy, as he led Indiana to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 20.1 points and 10.9 assists in the regular season. However, they fell to the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.

He dealt with a hamstring injury in the Finals and a minor leg issue during Team USA’s gold-medal campaign at the Paris Games, but he now looks fully recovered as the new NBA season approaches.