Tyrese Haliburton’s rise to NBA stardom is a story woven with the threads of family, resilience, and unshakable support. Born on February 29, 2000, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Tyrese is the second youngest of four boys raised by John and Brenda Haliburton. His parents, a former women’s basketball coach turned referee and a mother who never missed a game built the foundation for his career with a mix of tough love and unwavering belief.
John Haliburton, a towering figure in Tyrese’s life, didn’t just introduce him to basketball—he embedded it into his DNA. When Tyrese was barely old enough to crawl, John reserved half the court during his girls’ team practices so his son could dribble and shoot. Those early days in Oshkosh North High School’s gym, where Tyrese would later lead his team to a state championship, were filled with Magic Johnson film sessions and drills that John designed to sharpen his son’s vision and passing. The result? A point guard who’d later join Magic and John Stockton as the only players in NBA history with back-to-back 20-point, 20-assist games.
Brenda Tyrese Haliburton’s role was just as pivotal, though quieter. She attended every single one of Tyrese’s games growing up, from AAU tournaments to high school showdowns, missing only one college game due to a weather-delayed flight. Her voice was the one Tyrese heard most in the stands, critiquing his play with the precision of a coach. While John was the cheerleader, Brenda was the realist, pushing Tyrese to refine his game even after wins. That dynamic—good cop, bad cop—shaped Tyrese’s mental toughness.
When he signed a $260 million contract extension with the Pacers in 2023, he choked up thanking Brenda, calling her his “everything” for the sacrifices she made, like driving through the night after work to catch his games.
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All About Tyrese Haliburton’s Parents, Ethnicity, and Siblings
The Haliburton household was a blend of cultures and challenges. Tyrese, biracial with a Black father and white mother, grew up acutely aware of racial injustices. At 11, the Trayvon Martin shooting sparked conversations with John about the world he’d face as a young Black man. Those talks fueled Tyrese’s activism. On his 2020 draft night, he wore a suit lined with “Black Lives Matter,” a nod to his heritage and a statement about the league’s role in social justice. Years later, during the 2025 playoffs, his younger brother Marcel was called the N-word by a fan in Milwaukee, a moment Tyrese addressed publicly, stressing the need for accountability in sports spaces.

John’s passion for Tyrese’s career sometimes spilled over into controversy. After the Pacers’ Game 5 win over the Bucks in the 2025 playoffs, John stormed the court, waving a towel with Tyrese’s face and yelling at Giannis Antetokounmpo. The incident, which Giannis called “disrespectful,” led to John’s ban from attending games—a punishment Charles Barkley later argued was too harsh. Tyrese, caught between loyalty and professionalism, condemned the act but stood by his dad, calling him his “biggest fan.” The moment underlined the tightrope families walk when their private support collides with public scrutiny.
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Tyrese’s siblings—two older half-brothers from Brenda’s previous marriage and younger brother Marcel—rounded out a family that treated basketball as a collective mission. Marcel, often seen at Pacers games, became part of the narrative when Tyrese dedicated performances to him after the racial incident. The brothers grew up middle-class in Oshkosh, a city where NBA dreams were rare. John and Brenda stretched their budgets to buy shoes and gear, fostering a belief that Tyrese’s leap-year birthday was a sign of something extraordinary. By the time he was a senior at Oshkosh North, averaging 22.9 points and leading his team to a 26-1 record, the NBA no longer felt like a fantasy.
The road to the league had potholes. Tyrese was a three-star recruit, overlooked by Wisconsin’s flagship programs until Iowa State assistant Neill Berry spotted him in Las Vegas. Two years later, he was a lottery pick, drafted 12th by the Kings in the COVID-remote 2020 draft, where he sat in his living room with John, Brenda, and his brothers. The trade to Indiana in 2022 unlocked his potential, turning him into an All-Star starter by 2024. Through it all, his parents remained fixtures—John in his custom Pacers jacket with childhood photos on the sleeve, Brenda in her seat, still analyzing every play.
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What makes Tyrese Haliburton’s story unique isn’t just the stats or the accolades. It’s the way his family’s fingerprints are on every step. From John teaching him to pass before he could read to Brenda’s relentless presence, their influence is why Tyrese plays with joy and purpose. Even now, as he reps Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, the kid from Oshkosh hasn’t forgotten the half-court drills, the long drives, or the shirt that read “NBA Player”—the one John gave him when the dream was just starting.