Tyrese Haliburton knows what it is like to be inspired by Olympic greatness.
One of the best young basketball players in the world also knows that "failure" is the only word that can be used when Team USA falls short on a global stage.
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"We spent like a month, 40 days together, and I left with nothing," said Haliburton, referring to a highly disappointing run for the United States men's national basketball team in 2023.
That squad finished in fourth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Anything less than gold during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is unacceptable for LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Haliburton and a new Team USA squad that's already being compared to the sport-changing Dream Team from 1992 that featured Michael Jordan at his peak.
"We go at the end of the day to win a medal," Haliburton said. "So the gold medal is -- we don't have any other expectation. That's our goal and that's what we wanna do."
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The 24-year-old Haliburton had a breakout season for the Indiana Pacers in 2023-24, averaging 20.1 points, a league-high 10.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds, while shooting 47.7 percent from the field.
Haliburton made the All-Star team and was named All-NBA third team, while Indiana advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
"General frustration ... kind of carried into this year, where I had my most successful NBA season yet," Haliburton said.
The frustration stemmed from Manila in the Philippines, where the US team lost to Lithuania, Germany and Canada.
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"You're gonna get every team's best shot and understand that people want to see you lose," Haliburton said.
"I recall the Lithuania game last year, they just shot the lights out, they were unbelievable. All it takes is one game (for) guys to get hot and things can turn quick.
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"So just trying to use that to the best of the best of my ability to be aware of that."
Haliburton hopes to be a setup man for Team USA in Paris, using his passing skills to create easy baskets for Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker and more.
Before Haliburton felt the pain of falling short with the United States, he was inspired by another team that had to prove its worth on an international stage.
Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade helped put Team USA back on top of the world in 2008 at Beijing, China.
The Redeem Team is a perfect inspiration for Haliburton in 2024, just like it was during his youth.
"I was at the premiere of Redeem Team, the (Dwyane) Wade documentary, and me and D-Wade talked after that," Haliburton said. "I was like, 'Man, I got to be a part of it and I wanna do this so bad.' I already knew I wanted to do it.
"But I think seeing that, it just gives you goosebumps, like you wanna be a part of it and then got the opportunity last year. And I was really hoping that I got the opportunity this year as well.
"I've told Grant (Hill), I've said it many times, I wanna represent USA basketball for as long as I can. If I can play in multiple Olympics moving forward, that would be awesome."
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Less than a month before Team USA arrives in Paris for the Summer Games, Haliburton is embracing the gold standard.
Win it all on the world's biggest basketball stage -- or fail in France.