INDIANAPOLIS — There was a big surprise for some people playing basketball Saturday at Tarkington Park.
Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin, two of the newest Indiana Pacers, stopped by to say hi and play some ball.
(Note: The attached video is an earlier Locked On Pacers report on Haliburton.)
The pair actually visited several parks across the city Saturday to talk with folks and have a good time.
"Community means more than anything, and just getting to meet people and people actually getting to know you as a human being more so than just a guy on this basketball court, so it's really cool for me," Haliburton said.
Mathurin agreed with his teammate.
"Growing up, we didn't have any NBA players around who could come to the park and, you know, just show love," Mathurin said. "So me being, you know, an NBA player drafted not long ago, being able to come to parks, to local parks and just showing out love and showing that everything's possible has been a great experience. "
The Pacers also surprised everyone with some swag, including tickets to Pacers games, basketballs, hats and jerseys.
