The 2024 NBA offseason is nearing its end, but Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is making sure that he is able to maximize the free time that he has on his hands. On Tuesday, Haliburton, who had previously been a guest star on Monday Night RAW, took his talents to NXT and volunteered to get the contract signing between Ethan Page and Trick Williams for an NXT Championship Match on the CW premiere show on October 1 done.
Haliburton brought with him a few of his Pacers teammates, including Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, and Andrew Nembhard, as “reinforcements”, much to the dislike of the fans in attendance at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Haliburton, of course, has appeared on television as a natural heel. Born to relish the heelish spotlight, the Pacers star was back to his usual tricks on Tuesday night.
After the crowd booed at the sight of Haliburton's Pacers teammates, the 24-year-old floor general took a shot at the Orlando Magic and its fans, all in good fun of course.
“I get it, I get it. I would boo too if I had to be an Orlando Magic fan,” Haliburton said.
Haliburton did not have any beef with the Magic franchise prior to tonight, so one would think that he's just drumming up his heel persona for WWE television. The Pacers star also has experience playing with the Magic's best player, Paolo Banchero, having teamed up with him during their disappointing 2023 FIBA World Cup stint for Team USA.
Alas, Haliburton continues to make enemies; the New York Knicks fanbase isn't already fond of him, what with the Pacers being the team that knocked off the Knicks in last year's playoffs, and now, the Magic, another up-and-coming team in the Eastern Conference, will be keeping a close eye on the 24-year-old point guard out of Iowa.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers have a bright future ahead
Tyrese Haliburton has had himself one heck of a year thus far; he finally made it to the playoffs for the first time in his career, and not only that, he helped lead the Pacers to a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals despite coming into the postseason as the sixth-seed.
But then Haliburton's year only proceeded to get better; he was called upon to represent Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics — an incredible feat given how stacked the roster they sent to France was. Sure, the Pacers star did not play too big of a role in their gold medal run, but he was an outstanding presence to have on the locker room as he embraced the opportunity to root for his more esteemed teammates from up close.
Haliburton, in fact, couldn't process how surreal the experience of teaming up with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry was; his formative years as a basketball player came when those three were at their best, and to see them continue to play at a high level despite getting up there in age must have been a real treat for the Pacers star.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Pacers have an even brighter future ahead of them. Haliburton will have gained more reps alongside Pascal Siakam, further boosting the team's chemistry. They also have a nice young core that should sustain them for years to come.