Tyrese Haliburton has a funny reaction to winning gold with Team USA

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best on-court defenders in the NBA. However, he was unable to earn playing time in “the Avengersalso known as the 2024 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team during their gold medal run.

In Team USA’s six group and knockout matches, Haliburton played just 26 minutes. But rather than dwell on his role (or lack thereof), the 24-year-old embraced the ride to win gold and poked fun at himself on social media.

Haliburton took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to reference a viral meme about his meager contribution to the U.S.’s success at the Paris Olympics. He’s still a gold medalist, though, so he’s happy.

The reality is that there were only a certain amount of minutes available. Future Hall of Famers like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry led the way, leading head coach Steve Kerr to make tough decisions about the rotation. Ultimately, Haliburton was the man out, though he seemingly took being left out of the lineup in stride.

Frankly, Haliburton got the best of both worlds. He was able to take a several-week trip to Paris and watch from the court the best international basketball competition in recent times. And, if that wasn’t enough, he left as a world champion, without breaking a sweat.

As a two-time All-Star and the Pacers’ franchise player, Haliburton is used to being in the spotlight. However, it’s understandable that he took a backseat, considering Team USA had immense star power and legendary veterans around him.

However, Haliburton wasn’t the only one who had an abnormal/inconsistent workload. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid saw his minutes fluctuate and was even pulled due to injury against South Sudan. Additionally, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was a non-factor for much of the tournament. Despite all of that, the Americans prevailed.

Kudos to Haliburton for handling the situation well and making fun of himself. He averaged 2.7 points and 0.7 assists in the three games he played for Team USA. But at the end of the day, he goes home with a gold medal hanging around his neck.