NBA
Tyrese Haliburton revealed he has a strong friendship with Joel Embiid
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated6 hours ago on August 29, 2025
Pacers’ all-star PG Tyrese Haliburton recently appeared on the Impaulsive podcast. While on the show, Haliburton discussed several topics. At one point, he got to speaking about one of his most unique friendships in the NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton explained how he has a close friendship with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. He’s known for being secluded and having a distant personality. However, Indiana’s PG shared how Embiid has Facetimed him this offseason to check on his Achilles recovery. Haliburton knows that’s not something Embiid would do for every player, and he values their friendship.
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton are close off the court
Tyrese Haliburton:
“Not many guys are close with Joel Embiid. I think I’m one of the few. He even FaceTimed me recently — and I told him, ‘you don’t ever call anybody,’ so I knew it was him genuinely checking in on me.”
(via @Impaulsive, h/t @fullcourtpass) pic.twitter.com/upmuq3LDxS
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 27, 2025
This past summer, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton won gold medals with Team USA at the Paris Olympics. That’s likely where they first started to hit it off. Members of Team USA basketball spent a lot of time together in the summer of 2024. Since the Olympics, Embiid and Haliburton have become even closer. Both players are currently dealing with long-term injuries that will affect their 2025-26 season.
Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He’s out for at least 15 months and won’t be available until 2026-27. Joel Embiid is dealing with a chronic knee injury and only played 19 games last season for the 76ers. The team is unsure if Embiid will be ready for training camp in the fall.
Tyrese Haliburton tells Joel Embiid to give his passport back 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/d70PVt30Gc
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 26, 2024
With both players having long-term injuries, they’ve grown closer as friends. Tyrese Haliburton shared on the Impaulsive podcast that Embiid recently FaceTimed him. Indiana’s PG knew Embiid was genuinely checking on him because he rarely reaches out to other players. Unfortunately, Embiid’s injury outlook is not as optimistic as Haliburton’s.
Yes, Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles and will miss the entire 2025-26 season. However, Embiid has been dealing with a lingering knee injury for years. He’s played 58 games for the 76ers in their last two regular seasons. During that time, he’s missed 106 games for Philadelphia. Can the big man stay healthy and get back to his MVP form for the Sixers?
