Tyrese Haliburton winning the 2024 NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player award would have been the perfect way to cap off the All-Star Weekend festivities in Indiana.

Don’t get me wrong: Damian Lillard was undoubtedly the game’s MVP as many of his shots came during the competitive portions of the contest, while his 3-pointers broke the backs of the Western Conference All-Stars.

However, it was Haliburton that got things rolling for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Lillard may have gotten the award, but the crowd let the world know how they felt about it.

Maybe the audience wanted their latest adopted son to win it or perhaps, their displeasure stemmed from the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks could never figure out the Indiana Pacers this season. In this case, though, maybe it’s the former.

Since being traded to the Pacers from the Sacramento Kings back on February 8, 2022, Haliburton has been embraced by Indiana’s basketball community thanks to his ability to make all of the Pacers’ pieces work together.

Prior to Haliburton’s arrival, Indiana was in its best moments a good team and while it took some adjusting, the 23-year old has been the engine that has kept the Pacers humming. Myles Turner and Benedict Mathurin are not just solid players individually, but now they can do their thing within the confines of the offense. The addition of Pascal Siakam only makes Indiana more potent as they can run-and-gun or punish teams with mismatches. For a town that LOVES basketball, nothing brings smiles to their faces more than the game being played the right way.

With the NBA’s mid-season showcase coming to town, Haliburton has been quite the host. From his scheduled media appearances to his oncourt performances, the two-time NBA All-Star has been a model citizen for Indiana and with the love shown towards former Pacer Reggie Miller, Haliburton will certainly feel the love just by being himself.

After a few days of rest, Haliburton and his squad will resume the second half of the regular season and at 31-25, they have a shot at catching up to the New York Knicks (33-22) for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Haliburton’s All-Star experience should definitely be a boost and him being there with the game’s best players means one thing: he belongs.

There is a case for Tyrese Haliburton being named the 2024 NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant co-Most Valuable Player along with Damian Lillard and while the award would have been nice, Haliburton is clearly happy with the love he is getting from his adopted city. Besides, Haliburton’s eyes are on a bigger prize: a shot at an NBA title.