Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, born on Feb. 29, confirmed Sunday that he honors his leap-year birthday on both Feb. 28 and March 1 whenever the calendar skips the extra day.
The NBA, Haliburton’s fiancée Jade Jones and others sent congratulatory messages Saturday. A day later, the 26-year-old tweeted, “Appreciate all the birthday love yesterday! And yes I celebrate today too,” underscoring his two-day tradition between leap years.
Haliburton is sidelined for the 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles tendon but still found a way to enjoy the milestone. He is one of just four players in NBA history born on Feb. 29, joining John Chaney (1920), Chucky Brown (1968) and Vonteego Cummings (1976).
The Pacers’ mascot, Boomer, leaned into the rarity in 2024 by presenting a giant card that read “Happy 6th birthday Tyrese,” a nod to the fact that leap-year babies technically rack up birthdays every four years. At the time, Haliburton said the arrangement works in his favor because “I get two days to celebrate” and often buys himself extra presents.
Haliburton has yet to play an NBA game on Feb. 29; Indiana was off that date in 2024. He also missed the opportunity while at Iowa State in 2020 after a season-ending wrist fracture earlier that month.
The next leap-day falls in 2028, when Haliburton will commemorate what he jokingly calls his seventh official birthday.
Source: ESPN
