"I just grew up a LeBron fan!" - Newly-traded Tyrese Haliburton on why LeBron James' battles vs Lance Stephenson made him despise the latter

Indiana Pacers' latest acquisition Tyrese Haliburton grew up as a LeBron James fan. That also happens to be the reason behind him not being too fond of his current team and Lance Stephenson as a young boy. The former Sacramento Kings guard didn't hesitate to mention this fact in his latest Players Tribune write-up.

Haliburton recently made an appearance on ESPN's NBA Today show and was asked about the same by Malik Andrews as she was curious to know what equation he shares with Stephenson now that they are teammates. Here's what Haliburton answered:

"Well, I just grew up a LeBron fan. So like the Pacers were a threat... I just despised the Pacers, despised Lance, that's why I had to say that (in my Players Tribune) for sure."

Tyrese Haliburton has a different view on Lance Stephenson now, though, and went on to say that he "loves him" as a teammate at the Indiana Pacers.

"I love him (Stephenson) as a teammate," said Haliburton. "From the minute I got there (Indiana), he's just like man you've got to stay aggressive," said the Pacers new man.

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LeBron James' lethal record against Indiana Pacers

LeBron James battled against the Indiana Pacers in several playoff series during his time in the Eastern Conference with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat during the 2010s. Lance Stephenson and Co. gave James a pretty good fight on multiple occasions but did not manage to secure a win against his teams in any of the playoff campaigns during that stretch.

LeBron James played a total of 30 games across five playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. He has averaged 29.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. The Pacers' best chances of beating a LeBron James-led team came in 2013 and 2018. Both times the contest lasted seven games.

Lance Stephenson was a part of both of those Pacers' teams and was fearless in going head-to-head with James, who went on to become his teammate with the LA Lakers following their last playoff battle in 2018.

The Indiana Pacers will be hoping to turn their fortunes around next season after heading towards a rebuild this year. They traded stars like Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert at the trade deadline, announcing their mini-rebuild with the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte as key pieces moving forward. It will be interesting to see what other changes they make in the upcoming offseason.