The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, capped by Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot.
Now, the former Iowa State Cyclone is three wins away from becoming the first ISU alum to win an NBA title.
Haliburton is the third former Cyclone to play in the NBA Finals in the past six seasons.
Abdel Nader was the last ISU alum to make it to the NBA Finals in 2021, and Talen Horton-Tucker became the first former Cyclone to win an NBA Championship as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2020 NBA Bubble.
But who was the first Iowa State player to play in the NBA Finals, and how close did his team get to winning it all? Here’s what to know.
Who was the first former Iowa State player to play for an NBA Championship?
Former Iowa State guard Jeff Hornacek was the first former Cyclone to play in an NBA Championship as a member of the Utah Jazz in 1997.
Hornacek was a key contributor during his seven seasons with the Jazz, starting all 82 games during the 1996–97 campaign, which ended with a 4–2 loss to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
A former walk-on who spent four seasons at Iowa State from 1982 to 1986, Hornacek returned to the NBA Finals with the Jazz in 1998, again falling to the Bulls in a championship rematch. Over his 15-year NBA career, he earned All-Star honors in 1992 and was regarded as one of the league’s top three-point shooters.
Iowa State retired Hornacek’s No. 14 jersey in 1991. He later became head coach of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks between 2013 and 2018.
Tyrese Haliburton, 2025 NBA Finals schedule
Haliburton and the Pacers fell to the Thunder, 123-107, in Game 2 on June 8. The NBA Finals continue in Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 11.
(*-if necessary; all games are CT and on ABC)
Tyrese Haliburton stats
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tyrese Haliburton is latest Iowa State alum to play in the NBA Finals. Who was the first?
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
