The one who went toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal. The one whose posters still line the walls of local bars and barbershops. The one who, every time he comes home, receives a champion’s applause — even though he never was one.

As the final minutes ticked away in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 123-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the broadcast panned to a forlorn Tyrese Haliburton sitting on the bench.

Tyrese Haliburton punched his ticket to the 2025 NBA Finals, but who was the first former Cyclone to play for an NBA Championship?