Tyrese Haliburton said he wishes his relationship with Damian Lillard could be repaired after the Indiana Pacers star stole Lillard's Dame Time celebration during the 2023 in-season tournament. In the first edition of what is now the NBA Cup, Haliburton hit a key 3-pointer with less than a minute left in the Pacers' semifinal win over Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks, then looked at his wrist, mirroring Lillard's celebration.
Haliburton told "The Zach Lowe Show" that he regrets how his relationship with Lillard has turned out. "Because he was a guy who checked on me a lot early in my career, especially when I got traded from the Kings to Pacers in 2022," he said. He called Lillard a player he had looked up to for "a majority of my life" and admitted the moment got out of hand. "Put it on me. I was young, in the moment, I was having fun with it, but it was probably a little much." He added that he hoped they could "at least be cordial again."
Neither player played last season after suffering torn Achilles tendons during the 2025 playoffs. Both are healthy entering the 2026-27 season and played in preseason games this week. Haliburton said he missed a chance to meet with Lillard, who returned to the Trail Blazers in the 2025 offseason after being waived by the Bucks, when he skipped a trip to Portland while dealing with shingles. "I would love to have a conversation," Haliburton said.
A meeting could take place when the Pacers host the Trail Blazers on Dec. 17. Indiana plays at Portland on Feb. 18. Haliburton also said he still needs to readjust to the speed of the game. "That's going to be the biggest adjustment for me, just to kind of like slow down," he said.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing