Tyrese Haliburton on return to Golden 1 Center: ‘I love the fans in Sacramento.’
Nov 30, 2022, 1:07 PM | Updated: 1:27 pm
Former Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton is back at Golden 1 Center as the Indiana Pacers are set to take the floor tonight in front of a capacity crowd.
Haliburton, who was traded by the Kings to the Pacers back in February, is making his first appearance in Sacramento as an opposing player. The 22-year-old guard is off to an All-Star-level start to the season as he holds averages of 19.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 11.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game entering play on Wednesday.
Kings general manager Monte McNair decided to trade the talented guard for two-time center Domantas Sabonis during last season’s trade deadline, and Haliburton has made headlines since the deal with some comments that have been negatively received by Sacramento’s fanbase.
Still, Haliburton is excited to be back in the city that drafted him and said on Wednesday that he would be “forever linked” with the Kings and its fans.
“I love the fans in Sacramento.”
Hali on the reception he expects to receive at Golden 1 Center tonight: pic.twitter.com/XTw9ydb7EB
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 30, 2022
“I don’t know what it’s going to be,” Haliburton said when asked what he thought the fan reception would be during his return to Golden 1 Center. “I had a lot of fun when I was here, love the fans of Sacramento. My words have been taken out of context a million times, but what can I do?”
You can hear Haliburton’s comments about his return to Sacramento by clicking ‘play’ on the video at the top of this post.
Former Kings guard Buddy Hield and Kings center Domantas Sabonis also spoke to the media on Wednesday morning. You can hear their comments below.
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The Sacramento Kings entered the 2022-23 season hoping to break a 16-year playoff drought. After hiring Mike Brown as the team’s new coach, the Kings drafted Keegan Murray as the number four overall pick. They continued to make moves over the summer, trading for Kevin Huerter and signing multiple free agents, including guard Malik Monk.
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