NBA Finals 2025 - Tyrese Haliburton, Caitlin Clark and the most powerful friendship in basketball - ESPN

TYRESE HALIBURTON HAD just hit the latest, greatest shot of his life against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden. Congratulatory texts and calls were pouring in, as the Indiana Pacers celebrated their improbable comeback win.

But Haliburton had a problem. He'd left his phone charger back in Indiana, so he was about to miss all of them.

At this point in the postseason, very few people get through to Haliburton on his cell, much less get a response. But there's one group chat that's always active, and Haliburton wasn't about to miss all the chatter on this night.

There are four people in the group: Haliburton, his longtime girlfriend Jade Jones, Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark, and her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery.

«We're talking 24/7,» Haliburton told ESPN.

The best player on the Pacers, who are two wins from a championship after a 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and the best player on the Fever, who also happens to be the brightest young star in the WNBA, are close friends.

They don't just attend each other's games and send congratulatory messages on social media. No, the reigning king and queen of Indiana basketball go on double dates with their significant others and talk constantly about basketball and the pressures of superstardom.

«The four of us hang out all the time,» Haliburton said. «She goes through a lot, as you know. There's a lot of weight and eyes on her. Obviously there is on me as well, but hers are amplified times a million.»

Back inside the Garden, everyone wanted to talk to Haliburton after he'd hit a soul-crushing shot at the top of the key that bounced