“The most powerful friendship in basketball.” That’s how ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne described the bond between Tyrese Haliburton and Caitlin Clark. And now, as Haliburton gears up for Game 4 of the NBA Finals — with the Pacers just two wins from a title — that friendship is in the spotlight. A private text between the two has surfaced, revealing just how deep their connection really goes.

In a recent interview, Caitlin Clark was asked about her friendship with Haliburton, and she made it clear this isn’t just some casual, for-the-cameras relationship. She revealed that they are constantly leaning on each other to navigate the immense pressures of superstardom. In fact, she watches Haliburton and the Pacers to learn how to take better care of the ball, as he’s one of the best in the league at it. But Haliburton? He watches her games just as closely, and he’s not afraid to give her a hard time. “He’ll text me after a game when I have 10 turnovers,” Caitlin said with a laugh, “and be like, ‘Nice triple-double.'”

And this friendship isn’t just a one-way street of Haliburton giving advice. Clark said she’s constantly in his ear during Pacers games, too. “I was yelling at him the whole game [in Game 3] like, ‘Shoot it! Shoot it! Shoot it! You’re open!’“ she said. That support isn’t just happening over the phone, either. Clark has become a fixture courtside at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and her presence has been nothing short of magical. In fact, the Pacers are now a perfect 8-0 in home playoff games that Caitlin Clark has attended. Fans have officially labeled her the team’s “good luck charm,” and at this point, who can argue?

She was there for the ECF clincher against the Knicks and for their massive Game 3 Finals win. Clark even told reporters she secretly recorded her wild reaction on her phone when Haliburton hit that soul-crushing, game-tying shot against the Knicks. “I have a video on my phone I’m never going to show anybody,” Clark said. “It’s a pretty iconic video.” Haliburton confirmed he’s seen it, laughing and saying, “She was going crazy!”

This clearly isn’t just a casual friendship, these two are actively invested in each other’s success. According to Haliburton, he, his girlfriend Jade Jones, Caitlin, and her boyfriend Connor McCaffery have a group chat where they’re talking “24/7.” It’s a support system, a friendship that seems to be rooted in a shared love for the game and for the city they both now call home.

In fact, Clark made it clear that both she and Haliburton see a long-term future in Indiana. ‘Tyrese Haliburton and I would both tell you this is where we both hope to stay the rest of our careers,’ she declared. This constant support system must have been more crucial than ever this past year, because Haliburton has been weathering a storm of criticism that would have broken a lesser player.

From overrated to overwhelming: Ty-ing up the narrative

What makes Tyrese Haliburton’s current run so incredible is thinking about where he was just a year ago. As Andrew Lawrence from The Guardian pointed out, this is a guy who spent most of the Paris Olympics as a punchline, riding the bench for Team USA. He even poked fun at himself, posting a selfie with his gold medal and captioning it, “When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A.” He later admitted to ESPN that the experience was an “ego check” and that the online jokes about his lack of playing time were “weighing on me in a negative way for the first time in my life.”

The criticism didn’t stop there. It followed him right into the NBA season, when an anonymous poll by The Athletic saw 158 of his peers vote him the “league’s most overrated player.” But this time, something was different. Armed with a new confidence, he fired back: “I must be doing something right… I know who I am. I’m confident in myself and not concerned with what others think.”

This postseason has been his definitive answer. The player benched in Paris and dismissed by his peers has transformed into a ruthless stealer of dreams. His late-game heroics have been legendary, making a game-tying or game-winning shot in every single round. The list is insane: the overtime layup to close out the Bucks; the impossible three-pointer off his own missed free throw to stun the Cavs; the buzzer-beater against the Knicks where he reprised Reggie Miller’s infamous “choke” sign; and the Game 1 Finals winner to cap a massive comeback.

This is the ultimate redemption tour, and it’s being fueled by that powerful support system. His coach, Rick Carlisle, praised his balanced approach after Game 3, saying his combination of “aggression” and “getting his teammates involved” was exactly what was needed. That’s the Haliburton conundrum for defenses: he’s a pass-first genius who has also become a cold-blooded killer when the game is on the line.

Now, as he heads into a pivotal Game 4, Haliburton isn’t just playing for a championship. He’s rewriting his own story and silencing every doubter along the way. As he joked, “I was like three months old last time they made the finals.” Now, two wins away from delivering the Pacers their first-ever NBA title, he’s on the verge of turning a season that started with doubt into one that might just live forever in NBA lore.