NBA players have one of the most demanding schedules in all of sports, one that involves traveling around the U.S. throughout the year. Every season, teams travel to 15 different cities from coast to coast across an 82-game season. It can become quite the marathon, and one must wonder which cities ultimately stand out to the players at the end of the day. Have no fear, Tyrese Haliburton is here to give us the inside scoop on the best cities to play in.
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The conversation started when Haliburton made an appearance on Old Man and the Three along with Spike Lee. The famed director and New York Knicks superfan asked the Indiana Pacers guard about how he analyzes an NBA schedule when he’s first handed it in the offseason. Haliburton said that he looks at it quite a bit because he likes to plan out his road trips.
He also admitted that if he comes across a game at the end of a long road trip, he deems it a “scheduled loss.” The term got quite a kick out of Lee, but he quickly shifted the conversation.
“So, since you brought it up, you look at the schedule… What cities are you circling?” Spike asked.
“LA,” Haliburton responded, to which, Lee suggested that they should put LA twice because they have to play both the Lakers and the Clippers on that particular trip. Haliburton, who’s currently nursing a torn Achilles and will miss most of 25/26, agreed.
“New York… Miami… Milwaukee,” Hali added.
The response seemed to puzzle Lee as he tilted his head to the side. After all, Milwaukee is a small market, and it’s very cold. But Hali cleared up that he’s from Wisconsin, so the visit always hits close to home.
Later on, Spike took it even further. “What’s the hardest arena?… With the fans and the atmosphere,” he asked, almost pushing Haliburton to pick New York. But the point guard quickly humbled Lee, reminding him that his Pacers ousted the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs thanks to his own magical performances.
“You’ve seen me play in the garden. You think it’s hard to play in the garden?” Haliburton asked facetiously. He then said it was the opposite. “It’s exciting to play in the garden. And I think just the history of that building- the same goes for TD Garden, too. You understand the history of the building.”
Spike then clarified that Boston’s arena is a new stadium. Haliburton knew this but said that he still feels the history whenever he looks upward toward the rafters. This makes sense, given that the Celtics have 18 championships, an NBA record.
Haliburton also mentioned other cities throughout the conversation. He named Dallas and Toronto when talking about towns with good food spots. However, he also said that some cities aren’t as good as they sound, like Boston and New Orleans.
Travel plays such a huge role over the course of a season, and every player is bound to have their own perspective on each city. That’s what made hearing Haliburton’s take so interesting.
