Brock Purdy, Tyrese Haliburton and a bond from an Iowa State bus to the top of the sports world
Posted by
JD (aka Jason Dean)
Dec 21 '23, 14:03
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By Tim Kawakami
They could’ve been any two level-headed, hard-working, unheralded college freshman athletes on any campus anywhere in America. They certainly weren’t anything close to stars at the time. They weren’t at the most glamorous school. They could’ve been two barely anybodies headed it-doesn’t-matter-where.
But they were Brock Purdy and Tyrese Haliburton, randomly landing together in a classroom at Iowa State in the fall of 2018, which is when something told each guy that the other was worth watching and, psst, maybe worth helping out (or getting help from) on a test or two.
“I’m trying to think what class it was,” Haliburton told me with a loud chuckle during a phone interview this week. “I want to get it right. I think we were in accounting together? Or maybe stats. And we helped each other get through that course, let’s just say. We helped each other get through that.”
They survived. Oh yes, they survived. Destiny prevailed.
These days, Haliburton, in his fourth NBA season, is one of the league’s breakout stars after leading the Indiana Pacers to the finals of the In-Season Tournament and generally supplying most of the engine power for the league’s highest-scoring team. And Purdy, you may have heard, is the league MVP favorite in his second NFL season while helping guide the San Francisco 49ers to an 11-3 record and a clean shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
If you were their classmate those days, you probably wouldn’t have assumed they’d mirror each other so profoundly and prominently in a dual climb to the top of the American sports universe. But look deeper — the easy-going guard from Oshkosh, Wis., and the unassuming quarterback from the Phoenix suburbs sensed it from the beginning.
“As a freshman athlete, you come in and have a lot of similar classes as other athletes,” Purdy told me recently of his relationship with Haliburton. “So he and I had a bunch of classes together and just riding the buses around campus from our classes, our facilities and stuff, we always talked and caught up.
“Man, he and I went into Iowa State not really knowing what to expect, but both played early and got a lot of experience early on. We hit each other up all the time, just how we’re handling our business and how proud we are of each other. So yeah, we’re pretty close.”
Wait, bus rides? That was a normal part of the Iowa State football and basketball experience?
“Oh yeah, all the time,” Haliburton said. “It was either the Red 23 or the Orange 23, that’s the bus that goes around campus. So after class, we would jump on the bus together and we would ride all the way until we got to the parking lot, the football facility’s right there, and the parking lot’s right there.”
As Purdy said, neither was expected to be a headliner at Iowa State right away. Haliburton was a three-star (out of five) recruit known for his versatility and passing ability. Purdy, also considered a three-star, was highly pursued only late in his recruiting process, when he got a scholarship offer from Alabama. He ended up at Iowa State because he felt a connection with coach Matt Campbell and the attitude of the Cyclones program.
But fate quickly intervened for both. Haliburton earned playing time early at Iowa State, became a star as a sophomore and was drafted 12th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2020. After a season and a half, Haliburton was traded with two other players to the Pacers for a package headlined by Domantas Sabonis. And lately, Purdy has been heard in the 49ers’ locker room touting Haliburton’s NBA MVP candidacy and noting that Haliburton is young and only getting better. By the way, Haliburton is 23. The same age as Purdy.
So as long as the MVP is such a talking point with these two guys, whom might Haliburton be supporting for NFL MVP honors this season?
“I’m pushing the agenda every day,” Haliburton said. “I’ve been pushing the Brock Purdy agenda since we were 18, so it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Yeah, I believe he’s the MVP of the league. Just keep doing what he’s doing. I was pissed when he got hurt last year (in the NFC Championship Game). I was the one running around saying if he doesn’t get hurt, they’re winning the Super Bowl. I’m super excited to see what he’s doing.”
You want to get Purdy to break his laser-eyed game face and grin, if just for a second? Just mention Haliburton. You can tell that Purdy’s friendship with Haliburton, because it began before either was famous and because they’re going through some of the same pressures and same doses of sudden and immense fame at basically the same time, is a steadying thing.
“Tyrese, he has such a good personality, man,” Purdy said. “Everybody loved being around him. His joking around, his voice and stuff. He’s a fun guy to be around. Everyone respects him, too, for what he’s done on the court and obviously who he is as a person. I love seeing what he’s been doing and watching him.”
Some of this, clearly, is about the atmosphere on that campus in Ames. About the collegiality among athletes and the understanding that this isn’t exactly the fast lane to the big leagues. However talented you are, if you’re there, you’ve got to work your way to the highest level.
“Iowa State is very much a college town; it was really just us out there,” Haliburton said. “But we got along right away. We didn’t talk a ton, but I knew him as the kid going to Iowa State who had an Alabama offer. So he’s probably nice, you know? Their season started before ours. I went to all the games. Then everybody got hurt and I kept saying, ‘Play Brock! Play Brock!’ We were cool, and I wanted to see him play. Then, next thing you know, he was starting, then took the starting job over, and he wasn’t really supposed to play.
“Similar situation happened with me. I was not supposed to really play (as a freshman) and I ended up starting almost the whole year. So I think we related in that way. And it was pretty obvious to everybody who were fans of Iowa State that we were the future of the football and basketball programs moving forward. I think that that bonded us right then and there. I think that’s allowed us to have a relationship now, and we’re both having a lot of success. So it’s really, really cool to see because coming from Iowa State, it’s not like we’re supposed to have professional success.”
While Haliburton had a bit of a wait to get drafted — the Warriors took James Wiseman No. 2, the Cavaliers took Isaac Okoro No. 5, the Suns took Jalen Smith No. 10 and the Spurs took Devin Vassell one pick ahead of Haliburton — it was nothing like Purdy’s wait during the NFL Draft two years later. After his four years at Iowa State, Purdy famously was the last pick, No. 262.
And Haliburton wasn’t worried a bit about Purdy’s future. Because he knew him too well.
“I’m the type of person that keeps my expectations so low, so I didn’t even think Brock was going to get drafted, if I’m being honest,” Haliburton said. “But I didn’t think any of it because I know him as a person and I knew he’ll be fine, he’ll figure it out. But to see his name get called, I was so, so excited for him. I texted him right away. I was very excited for him to be with the Niners, and then it was just a matter of, ‘Man, I need to see my boy play, I need to see my boy play.’ Now all that he’s doing, it’s so, so cool to see.”
Two years earlier, Purdy had very similar thoughts watching Haliburton’s entry into the NBA after cheering through Haliburton’s Cyclone career.
“We all knew; we’d go to a bunch of basketball games and watch,” Purdy said. “You hear about mock drafts and stuff, but everyone at Iowa State knew that whoever got Tyrese Haliburton was getting a gem. For him to go 12th, that’s still pretty good. We’ve all watched and had his back all these years. To see him go off like he is now, we saw that at Iowa State.”
Last season, while Purdy was moving through the NFC playoffs with the 49ers, Haliburton declared his allegiance by wearing Purdy’s 49ers jersey to a Pacers game. When I asked Purdy about it at the time, he broke into a huge smile and said he was honored but not surprised because Haliburton’s such a great guy.
Yeah, the feeling’s mutual on that one.
https://x.com/Pacers/status/1616965557428813826?s=20
“In a world that’s so me-me-me, I think what he was and the football program as a whole at Iowa State, and I think Brock led that, was just give all the glory to God, give all the glory to his teammates,” Haliburton said. “Now he’s doing what he’s doing, and he’s talented himself but understands that it’s not possible without the other guys.
“I always try to get Brock to talk big about himself, but that’s just not in his DNA. He’s not that type of guy. He’s not a self-centered or arrogant person at all. I think he really understands the essence of team. You could probably ask all his teammates in that locker room, that’s definitely what they love about him. Brock goes to games wearing a T-shirt and jeans and a Levi’s jacket and some boots or something. He’s not ever going to be all flash. He’s about his business, and I really like that about him.”
And Purdy and Haliburton believe that each represents the essence and highest point of something they love: the Iowa State ethos.
“I think that’s the best part about it, to be honest,” Haliburton said. “I think something that me and Brock both share is we both really love our university. Brock was there for four years; I left after two, but my dog’s named Ames. I really embody Iowa State. Both of our girlfriends went to Iowa State with us. We both love the university. We share that bond, and it’s cool to see us having success because I think we both love going back, love going to Ames, and we’re proud of our university and it’s something that they’ll be able to use in recruiting and stuff … that we’re having success at the professional level. It’ll help get kids there because, obviously, as kids, we all want to play at the professional level, the highest level. It’s cool that our school gets to use that.”
Maybe there are two freshmen at Iowa State — or at any college, anywhere — who are just as motivated and just as talented as these two. Maybe they’re friends now. Maybe, if everything breaks right, they’ll be professional stars in half a decade.
But the odds of two athletes coming into any school at the same time and breaking out in the NBA and NFL like this, at almost the same time, feel quite low. Which makes the Purdy and Haliburton symmetry and friendship so special.
“For him to do that in basketball, to have myself and a couple of my teammates from football do their thing in the NFL, it’s been pretty sweet, man,” Purdy said. “We had a pretty good class of athletes go through there while we were there, and I was fortunate to get to know a lot of ’em. To be able to represent Iowa State like we have, man, that’s what it’s all about. Proud to be a Cyclone.”
The two share their experiences via text and phone calls. But Purdy and Haliburton haven’t really had time to sit down together over a meal and let the combined moment sink in. The last time the Pacers were in San Francisco was Dec. 5 of last year … which happened to be the day after Purdy had to sub in after Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in the first quarter and take over as the starting QB for the rest of the season. So the Purdy era began for the 49ers when his Iowa State peer was just 50 miles away. How’s that for cosmic symmetry?
“I was hurt, but he had just got the starting the job,” Haliburton recalled. “And I texted him, ‘Yo, you coming tonight, let’s go get dinner!’ And he was like, ‘Yo, Coach has told me I probably shouldn’t. I should get into the playbook and be ready to go because I’m starting now.’ So we didn’t get to do anything.”
There will be time for that in the days and years to come. There is a lot to discuss. A lot to celebrate. A lot to plan. Or maybe two of the biggest young sports stars in North American sports will just sit there quietly, thinking about those early Iowa State days and the bus rides and everything that had to happen to get them from there to here. And that there is nobody in the world who went through this. Who is going through this. Except each other
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