NBA’s Haliburton Pledges Donation to High School Alma Mater

No matter where his basketball journey takes him, Tyrese Haliburton will always call Oshkosh, Wisconsin, home.

While Haliburton has risen to hoops superstardom in recent years, including winning gold with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics and leading the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals, the Oshkosh North High School alumnus remains connected to the place he grew up.

During a recent trip home for a celebration honoring a former coach, Haliburton shared news that will impact his community for decades to come.

On August 16, Haliburton attended the official dedication ceremony for Frank Schade Fieldhouse at Oshkosh North. Schade led the Spartans program for 31 seasons and recorded 437 wins, including Haliburton’s junior season – his final year coaching at North – when the team started 25-0 before losing in the sectional final.

During the dedication, Haliburton pledged a $3 million donation to North’s athletic department, to be distributed over the next three years. The funds have been earmarked for upgrades including new scoreboards, video boards and a weight room. They will also cover signage for the newly dedicated fieldhouse.

Haliburton was all smiles as he reconnected with dozens of people at North and emphasized how the community has shaped him.

“This community, this school means a lot to me. I really cherish this place,” Haliburton said. “I cherish the people within it as well. And I know that I wouldn’t be where I am without this place.”

Haliburton was an absolute force at North, helping the Spartans win their school’s first-ever Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I state championship for boys basketball. Haliburton, the 2018 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 22.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game as a senior while leading North to a 26-1 record. In the state finals against Brookfield East High School, he scored 31 points – including 24 in the second half.

Haliburton entered North’s Hall of Fame and his number 14 jersey was retired in 2022.

Brad Weber, who coached the state championship team and remains head coach at North, said the donation will go a long way for the Spartans’ athletic programs.

“Budget problems are very real for all schools, so when you have someone who’s able to help make current students and players feel special, it makes a huge difference,” he said during the dedication.

Haliburton and Weber have stayed connected over the years. Weber sends him updates, and the two still talk basketball.

During the same trip in August, Haliburton also hosted a free youth camp at the school for more than 200 kids.

Even when Haliburton is visiting Wisconsin for business, he still tries to take the time to connect with Oshkosh North. In December 2023, during a game in Milwaukee, Haliburton hosted the North boys basketball team during the Pacers’ shootaround before speaking with them.

“The sense of community has always meant a lot to me, and I’m wise enough to understand that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who supported me growing up,” Haliburton said. “You can think back to all the people who had such an impact on me – from teachers to coaches, just community members in general.”

John Haliburton, Tyrese’s father, told Fieldhouse Files in 2023 that he still lives in Oshkosh and often commutes back and forth to Indianapolis for Pacers games. John, who has previously coached basketball and officiated, said in that interview it’s important to him his kids remember where they are from.

Haliburton signed a five-year supermax contract with Indiana in 2023. After helping Indiana reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, he led the Pacers to their first 50-win campaign in a decade last season before they went on an incredible run to the NBA Finals, ultimately falling to the champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.

Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon early in Game 7 and will miss the 2025-26 season. He was wearing a boot during his trip to Oshkosh but has since shed it as his recovery progresses.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.