Tyrese Haliburton & Jade Jones

People.com:


Tyrese Haliburton is engaged!

On July 28, the Indiana Pacers star announced that he proposed to his college sweetheart, Jade Jones, on the basketball court at Iowa State University — their shared alma mater.

"The place where our story started, and where our next chapter begins," Haliburton wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the proposal. The couple have been dating since 2019. The following year, they adopted a dog named Ames together.


Haliburton popped the question just one month after his devastating Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, where the Pacers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder.


"What a year!!! What a bittersweet ending to it all," Jones wrote on Instagram after OKC claimed the title. "You have been nothing short of amazing. You are so selfless, brave, and strong! I will always be your biggest cheerleader. I will forever be so proud of you!!"

 

Jones grew up in Iowa

Jones was born in January 1998 and was raised in Iowa. She was a cheerleader while she was in high school.

She has also worked as an elementary school teacher in her home state and paid tribute to her students in a 2018 post, writing, “To my first graders, thank you for showing me the reason why I am pursuing my dream of teaching. I have absolutely loved every minute of learning all about you & your education. You guys make my job too easy by being such amazing students.”


Jones and Haliburton met at Iowa State University

Both Haliburton and Jones were students at Iowa State University when they met.
Jones was a cheerleader for the Cyclones, which she wrote on Instagram was an integral part of her college experience.

“I truly couldn’t imagine my life without this sport," she wrote after finishing the season in March 2020. "Cheerleading has carried me on a journey that I will never forget.”

She and Haliburton began dating in April 2019. To celebrate their sixth anniversary in April 2025, Jones wrote a sweet tribute to her longtime partner on Instagram, calling him her "best friend forever."

"6 whole years of loving you. Every single day you continue to amaze me!!" she wrote in the caption. "You make this world shine so incredibly bright, and I’m so lucky to spend life by your side. You are so special to me; our love is one in a million."

"6 years, damn, my ride or die always! Love you, girl," Haliburton replied in the comments.




Tyrese Haliburton and Jade Jones in March 2019.

 

Jones is supportive of Haliburton's career


Jones has supported Haliburton throughout his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers. She often attends his games, even traveling to the Olympics in 2024 to see him represent Team USA.


In January 2022, she described herself as Haliburton's “biggest cheerleader” in an Instagram post. Two years later, she and her family proved she meant it when they all wore T-shirts with Haliburton’s face on them for a Pacers game, per a Facebook post.

During the June 2025 NBA Finals, Jones travelled to Oklahoma City to support Haliburton. There, she went viral on X after having an animated exchange with a few Thunder fans during Game 2.


Jones and Haliburton share a dog

Jones and Haliburton share a mini goldendoodle, Ames, whom they named after the city where they first met.

The point guard told FanDuel Sports Network Indiana in March 2023 that the couple first decided to get a dog while they were living in California during Haliburton's rookie year, which was in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We couldn't leave; there was nothing to do; we were so bored every day so I was like, 'Let's get a dog'" Haliburton said.

While the NBA star was initially nervous about having a pup, he said the two are now inseparable.

"My dog doesn't know how good or bad I play; he's just happy to see me," Haliburton told the outlet. "So I enjoy having one person in my life who, no matter how I play they're going to greet me the same way every day."

Ames has his own Instagram account where his parents often post photos with him.

 

They love to travel together


Jones often travels alongside Haliburton, including to his games abroad. In July 2024, the couple visited London while in Europe for the Olympics, and in January 2025, they returned to Paris alongside friends. In September 2024, they went to Disney World in Florida together.

Ahead of the Olympics, the couple flew to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where Haliburton took part in exhibition games with the U.S.
"Collecting passport stamps," Jones wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos from their trip.

 

I mean she has shown she is a real and isn't riding his coattails, has her own career which she seems to love so marrying a baller wasn't the end goal