- The Indiana Pacers face the San Antonio Spurs in two NBA Global Games this week
- Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton returns to Paris after winning Olympic gold last year
Tyrese Haliburton hopes to repeat the winning feeling he helped create in Paris last summer with Team USA, but this time in an Indiana Pacers uniform during this week's NBA Global Games doubleheader.
The Pacers face the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and Saturday nights at Accor Arena, marking a first for the NBA by hosting two regular-season games in Europe.
For point guard Haliburton, it is the second time he has visited the French capital in six months after playing in the Olympic Games with his country.
On a star-studded roster, Haliburton, who was recovering from a leg injury, did not have the impact on the Games that he would have liked, as he played the fewest minutes of the 12-man squad, participating in only three games and only attempted five shots.
Nonetheless, Haliburton left Paris with an Olympic gold medal and plenty of memories, including an iconic celebratory photo on the outside steps of the Accor Arena.
“I'm excited to play and play in this stadium,” the 24-year-old two-time All-Star joked Wednesday when reflecting on his Olympic experience.
Tyrese Haliburton hopes to create more happy memories in Paris after winning Olympic gold last year when his Indiana Pacers take on the San Antonio Spurs at Accor Arena this week.
Haliburton poses with his star-studded Team USA teammates after their win last year
The 24-year-old will try to remind the French of his skills on Thursday and Saturday
'I took a photo (of the steps on Wednesday). I'll probably post it to our team group chat later, but yeah, these are definitely just memories to last a lifetime, regardless of what the experience was for me personally.
“I was part of a group of 12 guys, and really only 12 of us as players got to experience that.”
After starting the season on a personal and team slump, Haliburton and the Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA: they have won eight and lost only two of their last 10 games.
Haliburton is averaging 17.9 points and 8.8 assists so far this season and hopes the improvement continues overseas starting with Thursday's home game against the Spurs.