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 of the Pacers' semifinal win over Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks, then looked at his wrist -- a la Lillard's celebration.
Haliburton told "The Zach Lowe Show" in an episode published Thursday that the midseason tournament was key for the Pacers ahead of their run to the 2025 NBA Finals but that he understood how his mockery move damaged his relationship with a player he said he had looked up to for "a majority of my life."
"I think what I do regret more than anything is what me and Dame's relationship has become," Haliburton told Lowe. "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]."
Neither Haliburton nor Lillard played last season after suffering torn Achilles during the 2025 playoffs. Both are healthy again entering the 2026-27 season and played in preseason games this week.