This month, Reese’s is bringing together basketball trailblazers Tyrese Haliburton, Breanna Stewart, Richard Jefferson, and Andraya Carter for a closed-door Bracket Summit.
Source: Jacob Kupferman / Getty
At the Summit, the stars built their men’s and women’s tournament brackets and encouraged fans to join in as those picks inevitably fall apart throughout March Madness.
BOSSIP’s Rebecah Jacobs got to chat with Tyrese Haliburton after the Summit, where he broke down his NCAA bracket, Iowa State pride, and what he loves the most about March Madness. He also revealed whether or not he would ever do reality TV, his talent on the aux, and his surprise opinion on the never-ending GOAT debates.
“Obviously the one and done factor changes things and makes it that much more exciting for everybody,” Haliburton said about the difference between the college basketball tournament and NBA playoffs. “If you catch a team on a bad day, you could have an upset, and I think that’s why there are so many crazy things that happen.”
He continued, “In the NBA, we spend so much time watching the NBA games and we’re not watching college basketball as much, so things are a little different. But, in March, in NBA locker rooms, and NBA arenas, you never see people take as much pride in their alma maters or their universities, and that’s fun for me, because I’m somebody who watches Iowa State all the time.”
Hali went on to explain the winners of his bracket, emphasizing that he sees no reason for U Conn’s women’s team not to take home the title.
“U Conn, I think they’ve just been dominant all year,” he began. “Their team is so good, I love Sarah Strong, I love Azzi Fudd, they have Ali Isabelle on their team as well, who is from my area back home, so I think their team is just so deep and I don’t foresee them losing…I think their biggest challenge will be getting past South Carolina in the final 4, and then ultimately UCLA in the national championship, but I think that it’s doable, and ultimately, something that they will do.”
On the men’s side, he’s standing by his alma mater.
“I have Iowa State winning the national championship, I’m a little biased, of course, that’s my alma mater,” Tyrese admitted. “But, I think they’ve been a great team all year, they’ve done so many special things and I think they’ve been playing really well all through March. Obviously, they’ll have to get through some tough teams: Kentucky, Virginia, Michigan. There’s really good teams in the region, and in college basketball as a whole, but I believe it’s something that they can get done.”
The Indiana Pacers star also spoke about his fan interactions on social media coming naturally to him, chalking it up to his generation and their love for the internet.
“I think it’s something that comes naturally. I was born in 2000, I grew up with social media, I’m just as addicted to social media as everyone else my age. I’m on social media all the time, it just so happens that I’m an NBA player, so when I tweet things like I would if I was not an NBA player, they get more attention because of who I am,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’ve just always liked to interact with people on social media, it’s fun for me to have those interactions with fans or people who aren’t fans and just have banter–it’s just always been apart of who I am,” Haliburton continued. “It’s something that’s fun for me.”
After appearing on the second season of Starting 5, Tyrese isn’t exactly ready for reality TV, but he is interested in sharing more of his life with fans.
“I’m glad my fiancée’s not here to hear you talk about me doing reality TV show,” he said with a laugh, implying she’d jump at the chance. “I’ve has some success with my Youtube and my social media, I stream sometimes gaming and other things. I can see myself putting out a more inside look into my life, for sure, obviously with me more in control of it.”
“But, reality television? I’m probably out on that one,” he added.
When asked about who in the Pacers locker room has the best taste in music, Hali didn’t hesitate to say “myself.”
“I think I’m versatile, I usually have the aux, because I can play something that connects with everybody in the locker room,” he explained. “If a guy wants country, I know that I can drop one at the right time and get quickly to another genre that other guys wanna hear fast. So, I feel like I’m a pretty good DJ.”
As for worst? The team’s rookie, Kam Jones.
“He’s been on aux duty since I’ve been injured, and when I’m around the team and hear that stuff…it’s pretty horrible.” the star admitted.
Haliburton is who’s known for taking clutch shots on his own team, and when asked who else in the league he’d pick to take those same shots, he grappled with the question for a bit.
“That’s a great question,” he said before a long pause. “I’d probably say Dame [Lillard], because he’s got the best celebration, you know–Dame Time–for late in the game. Steph Curry, you pick Steph you’re never wrong.”
And regardless of how willing he is to give other players their flowers, Haliburton doesn’t like to engage in GOAT debates, because of what it means for the rest of the athletes being talked about.
“I try to stay out of those conversations because it diminishes other people and I feel like we’ve gone too far as a society in trying to diminish people to put others on top…It can just get corny sometimes for me,” he said when asked his criteria for determining the greatest of all time.
“Back when I was in those conversations, me being a 26-year-old dude, I love LeBron [James],” he continued. “I can’t speak on guys that I didn’t watch.”
Your March Madness bracket will inevitably bust—every bracket does. But this year, when it does, you’ll have the chance to win a Reese’s cup and tickets to the NCAA men’s or women’s Final Four AND Championship Games.
When fans’ brackets inevitably bust, they can share them by tagging and following @Reeses and using #ForAReesesSweeps on Instagram, X, or TikTok for a chance to win free Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and attend the men’s or women’s Final Four and Championship Games. Official rules here.
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