OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Tyrese Haliburton returned to his hometown Thursday with a simple goal: help local kids head back to school feeling prepared, supported and confident.
The NBA All-Star and Oshkosh native joined families at the Oshkosh Back 2 School Fair, where about 1,400 income-eligible students are receiving backpacks filled with school supplies, new school outfits, underwear and hygiene items. Students also can get free haircuts and receive a shoe voucher supported by the Oshkosh Area United Way.
For Haliburton, the event is personal.
“I love coming home,” Haliburton said. “I don't get to come home much, maybe one or two times a year, so it's always special when I'm able to come home.”
The fair is part of Haliburton's new partnership with OshKosh B'gosh, a collaboration focused on youth development, mentorship and family support. The brand, founded more than 130 years ago in Oshkosh, is working with one of the city's most recognizable hometown athletes to give back to local families.
Haliburton spent time Thursday answering questions, playing games with children and talking with families.
“Partnering with OshKosh B'gosh has been like a dream come true,” he said. “It's something I always wanted to do.”
The event goes beyond providing school supplies. Families can take part in confidence-building activities and customization stations while checking out OshKosh B'gosh's Heritage Denim, Utility and Modern Heritage collections, including styles personally curated by Haliburton.
For Haliburton, helping children feel good about themselves as they return to school is just as important as making sure they have the supplies they need.
“When the start of school starts, I know I could kind of be like, ‘Oh, school's back, summer's over,’” Haliburton said. “So you just want kids to be going back to school confident. You want them to have maybe a little reason to be a little more excited to go back to school.”
Haliburton said simply being present in the community matters to him.
“Anything that we can do in the community I think is important, and showing face, being here, I think is really important,” he said.
That connection to Oshkosh goes well beyond basketball. Haliburton grew up in the city, starred at Oshkosh North High School and eventually went on to Iowa State before becoming a first-round NBA draft pick and an All-Star with the Indiana Pacers.
He said he understands that his success is connected to the people who supported him along the way.
“I just am not who I am without the people here,” Haliburton said. “I'm a firm believer in that it takes a village for somebody to be successful.”
That village, he said, included coaches, teachers and community members who helped shape him.
“I would not be here without the sacrifices of many people,” he said. “Now that I have more of a platform, that doesn't change anything. It just allows me to give back even more.”
That philosophy is at the center of his partnership with OshKosh B'gosh, which Haliburton said is only the beginning.
“I think us two together can make some really fun things happen,” he said. “So this is just, I think, one of the many things that we can do.”
Haliburton remains closely connected to Oshkosh North basketball and said he talks regularly with former teacher and head coach Brad Weber. But returning home has also given him a unique perspective on how quickly the next generation is growing up.
Some of the students who now look up to Haliburton were only in elementary or middle school when he graduated.
“It's pretty crazy to see because we're getting close to a senior class that I have no idea that I've never met when I lived here,” he said. “For me, it's just special to still be involved as much as I can.”
That involvement is especially meaningful when children recognize him not simply as an NBA player, but as someone who grew up where they did.
Haliburton said it's important for kids in Oshkosh to see that he's “an actual human being” and not just “a guy on TV.”
“I can relate to a lot of things they're going through — the same struggles, the same street, like everything here I went through as well,” he said.
His message to them is straightforward: stay positive, value school and stay involved in the community.
“I think it's important for me not only in the NBA and in Indiana, but in Oshkosh as well to get in front of people,” Haliburton said. “Just continuing to spread positivity I think is the most important thing, but continue to stress how important school is.”
While Haliburton has plenty to look forward to on the basketball court, including his return to the Pacers after missing last season while recovering from an Achilles injury, he said his plans for Oshkosh extend beyond basketball.
He hopes to continue expanding what he and his partners can do for the community.
“I think we just keep pushing what we can do here and doing more and more,” he said. “I'm really looking forward to keep sharing what we have planned in the community and, like I said, keep taking it to another level.”
For now, that work started with backpacks, haircuts, clothes, school supplies and a few hours spent playing games and talking with kids.
And for a hometown kid who still remembers elementary school recess and playing football outside, coming back to help the next generation carries its own meaning.
“I love coming home,” Haliburton said.
