Rick Carlisle Reveals First Conversation With Tyrese Haliburton: The Moment That Sparked a New Era in Indiana
When Rick Carlisle returned to Indiana in the summer of 2021, the Pacers were at a crossroads. The team had cycled through multiple head coaches in quick succession, their roster was solid but lacked a clear centerpiece, and the identity of the franchise was hazy. Carlisle, a veteran coach with a championship pedigree from his Dallas Mavericks days, knew he was stepping into a complicated situation. But what he didn’t realize at the time was that one phone call—a first conversation with Tyrese Haliburton—would become the foundation for the Pacers’ new direction.
In a recent interview, Carlisle opened up about that first dialogue, describing how it set the tone for a relationship that is now central to Indiana’s resurgence. The story of that conversation is more than just two men talking basketball; it’s the story of vision, trust, and the belief that a young guard could be the future of the franchise.
The Backdrop: Carlisle’s Return to Indiana
Before we get to the conversation itself, it’s worth revisiting the context. Rick Carlisle was no stranger to the Indiana Pacers when he returned in 2021. He had been an assistant under Larry Bird in the late 1990s, helping guide the Pacers to their lone NBA Finals appearance in 2000. Later, he served as the team’s head coach from 2003 to 2007, leading a veteran group that included Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest, and Reggie Miller in his twilight years.
When Carlisle left Indiana the first time, his coaching journey took him to Dallas, where he ultimately achieved the pinnacle—winning the 2011 NBA championship with Dirk Nowitzki and a Mavericks squad that upset the Miami Heat’s superteam. Over more than a decade in Dallas, Carlisle built a reputation as one of the NBA’s most cerebral tacticians, unafraid to innovate and willing to speak bluntly with his players.
By the time he returned to Indiana in 2021, the Pacers were reeling. The Nate Bjorkgren experiment had failed, the roster was talented but flawed, and fans were restless. The team had been stuck in mediocrity: good enough to compete, never quite good enough to contend. Carlisle was tasked not just with coaching but with helping define the Pacers’ identity in a new era.
Still, no coach can succeed without a cornerstone player. And at that moment, Indiana didn’t quite have one. Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, and Myles Turner were all talented, but none had fully convinced observers that they could carry a franchise deep into the playoffs.
That’s when fate intervened—in the form of Tyrese Haliburton.
The Trade That Changed Everything
On February 8, 2022, the Indiana Pacers sent shockwaves through the NBA by trading All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, along with Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, to the Sacramento Kings. In return, Indiana received Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
The move stunned fans and analysts alike. Sabonis was the Pacers’ two-time All-Star, a double-double machine who seemed like the franchise’s centerpiece. Trading him felt like waving the white flag on contention.
But to Carlisle and Pacers president Kevin Pritchard, the deal was about the future. In Haliburton, they saw something rare: a young, unselfish playmaker with elite vision, the ability to score when needed, and the charisma to become a leader.
Carlisle has since admitted that as soon as he knew Haliburton was coming, he understood the franchise’s trajectory had changed.
The First Call: Carlisle and Haliburton Connect
The day the trade went down, emotions were high. Sabonis was beloved in Indiana. Haliburton, meanwhile, was devastated to leave Sacramento, where he had openly stated he wanted to build something special.
That’s when Rick Carlisle picked up the phone.
“I’ll never forget it,” Carlisle recalled in his interview. “I wanted to call Tyrese right away, because I knew how tough it is to be traded, especially for a young player who’s just starting to find his way. I wanted him to hear from me directly—what we saw in him, what we believed he could be, and what kind of opportunity was waiting for him in Indiana.”
Carlisle said his message was simple but heartfelt:
“Tyrese, this is your team now. We believe in you. We want to build around you. Everything we’re going to do, from here forward, is going to be about putting you in the best position to succeed.”
For a 21-year-old who had just been blindsided by a trade, those words mattered.
Haliburton later reflected on that moment: “I was upset. I didn’t want to leave Sacramento—I really thought I was going to be there forever. But when Coach Carlisle called me, it was different. He wasn’t just giving me a pep talk. He was telling me, straight up, that I was the guy. That was the first time in my career I felt like someone was building a franchise around me.”
Building Trust: From Words to Action
Of course, words are one thing. Actions are another. Carlisle knew he couldn’t just tell Haliburton he was the franchise centerpiece; he had to show him.
From the moment Haliburton arrived, Carlisle restructured the Pacers’ offense to run through him. The ball was in his hands constantly, and Carlisle gave him the freedom to experiment, to push pace, to find teammates in transition, and to take risks that other young guards might not be allowed to take.
“It was about empowerment,” Carlisle said. “Tyrese has this unbelievable gift for seeing the game one step ahead. I didn’t want to put him in a box. I wanted him to feel like he could control the game.”
The results were immediate. Even in a losing season, Haliburton’s numbers exploded. He averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists in his first half-season with Indiana, showing flashes of the All-Star he would become.
More importantly, he brought joy to the franchise. His passing lit up highlight reels. His infectious personality resonated with teammates and fans alike. Suddenly, Pacers games were fun again.
Carlisle on Haliburton’s Leadership
That first conversation wasn’t just about X’s and O’s—it was about leadership. Carlisle saw something in Haliburton that went beyond talent.
“From day one, you could tell he had the qualities you want in a leader,” Carlisle said. “He’s vocal, he’s positive, and he makes everyone around him feel valued. That’s a rare combination. Usually, young stars are focused on themselves. Tyrese was always focused on how he could elevate others.”
Carlisle remembered practices where Haliburton would stop drills to encourage a rookie, or games where he’d go out of his way to get a struggling teammate an easy bucket. Those small moments, Carlisle said, were as important as the points and assists.
“Leadership is earned,” Carlisle explained. “And Tyrese earned it quickly—not because he demanded it, but because people wanted to follow him.”
The Ripple Effect: Changing the Pacers’ Culture
The impact of that first Carlisle-Haliburton conversation rippled far beyond the two of them. It changed the Pacers’ organizational culture.
Kevin Pritchard and the front office doubled down on the vision Carlisle had laid out: build around Haliburton. Every roster move since has been made with that goal in mind—from drafting Bennedict Mathurin, to adding veterans like Bruce Brown, to pursuing versatile bigs who can thrive in a fast-paced system.
The Pacers’ identity shifted almost overnight. No longer were they a grind-it-out, half-court team centered around big men. They became one of the league’s most dynamic offenses, running through Haliburton’s creativity.
Carlisle pointed out that none of it would have worked without that initial buy-in. “If Tyrese hadn’t believed me on that first call, if he hadn’t trusted what we were building, this could have gone a very different direction. But he did. And from there, everything grew.”
Haliburton’s Side of the Story
While Carlisle has shared his perspective, Haliburton’s memories of that first conversation are equally powerful.
“Coach was real with me,” Haliburton said in a sit-down with reporters. “He didn’t sugarcoat it. He said, ‘Look, this is going to be hard. We’re going to lose some games while we build this. But if you stay the course, if you keep working, we’re going to do something special.’ That honesty meant a lot to me.”
Haliburton admitted that being told he was “the guy” came with pressure, but it also gave him freedom. “I felt like I could play my game. I didn’t have to fit into someone else’s system—I was the system. That’s every point guard’s dream.”
Results on the Court
Fast forward to today, and the results speak for themselves. Haliburton is an All-Star, one of the NBA’s assist leaders, and a face of the league’s next generation. Under Carlisle’s guidance, he has blossomed into not just a star, but a superstar.
The Pacers, meanwhile, are back on the map. They’ve gone from a team stuck in mediocrity to one of the NBA’s most exciting squads, with a bright future.
And it all started with a simple phone call.
The Bigger Lesson
Rick Carlisle’s story about his first conversation with Tyrese Haliburton isn’t just about basketball. It’s about leadership, trust, and vision. It’s about how one moment of honesty and belief can change the trajectory of a player, a coach, and an entire franchise.
For Carlisle, it was a reminder of why he came back to Indiana. For Haliburton, it was the beginning of a journey toward superstardom. And for Pacers fans, it was the start of a new era—one built not on past memories, but on the promise of what’s to come.
Leave a Reply