Before the NBA Finals stage, before the bright lights, the cameras, and the cheers of All-Star crowds, Tyrese Haliburton was just a kid who needed one thing above all — time with his dad.

“My relationship with my pops is well documented,” Tyrese said, his voice steady but filled with warmth. “He means everything to me. He’s been my biggest fan my whole life. My dad always believed in me—he never thought I could do any wrong. He’s always told me, ‘You’re the best, and you’re going to be the best.’”

But life wasn’t always that simple. When Tyrese was in elementary school, John Haliburton lost his job. Even though they lived just down the road from Tyrese’s school, walking wasn’t enough. “I made my dad drive me every day,” Tyrese remembers with a smile. Those drives were more than just

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