Tyrese Haliburton delivered one of his best playoff performances as the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their second-round series on Tuesday night, winning 114-105. The All-Star guard finished with 31 points, eight assists, six rebounds, a steal, and a block while shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-6 from three. His efforts drew praise from Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James—and sparked a postgame text exchange between the two.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Haliburton revealed the interaction with James and reflected on their growing connection, which began during their time with Team USA.

“The Bron thing was super cool,” Haliburton said. “We texted back and forth last night. I’ve grown a lot of cool relationships from that Olympic experience and it’s been really cool, but yeah, we’re not done, we still have a lot to go.”

James had tweeted his support shortly after the Pacers closed out the Cavaliers, writing:

“Hali fkn hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell. That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!” followed by a brain and basketball emoji.

When asked about why veteran players like James appreciate his style of play, Haliburton pointed to his approach to the point guard position.

“I just feel like I’m maybe a part of a dying breed in our league,” he said. “I feel like I’m a true pass-first point guard. I feel like it’s not as common these days, but I just try to play the game the right way.”

“I want to play the right way and I want to win, that’s the most important thing for me and so I’m sure it’s easy for LeBron to say that people would want to play with me – yeah, for winning for sure, people would love to play alongside me.”

Haliburton also praised the connection between the Pacers and their fanbase, noting the team’s growing appeal.

“But I think with our group in general, we have a group that people enjoy to watch, people enjoy to cheer for,” Haliburton said.

“I think that’s why we got our fans in Indiana that love to get behind this group and we’re getting people like you [Pat McAfee] out of being used to the Pacers being at arm’s distance – we’re bringing you back in, you know, you’re back in and that’s happening to a lot of people out there and it’s cool to see.”

With the Cavaliers eliminated, Indiana advanced to its second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers now await the winner of the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics series. The Knicks currently lead 3-1, with Game 5 set for Wednesday night at TD Garden.