"I would boo too, if I was an Orlando Magic fan" - Tyrese Haliburton talks trash to Florida crowd at WWE NXT event with backup of Pacers teammates
WWE fans were not pleased with Tyrese Haliburton's appearance at an NXT event in Florida, bringing his Indiana Pacers teammates with him as backup.
The Pacers All-Star guard received a plentiful reaction of boos from the Florida crowd but had a humorous comeback to the cold welcome.
"I didn't come alone, I brought my reinforcments with me," Haliburton said as he introduced his Pacers teammates.
The crowd continued their booing and Haliburton had jokes, stating:
"I get it, I get it. I would boo too if I had to be an Orlando Magic fan. I get it, but we're not here to talk about that."
While it was a witty comeback, Orlando Magic got the better of the Pacers during the 2023-24 NBA season, taking their regular season series 2-1. The Magic, ironically, also won both games in Indiana, while the Pacers topped the Magic in Orlando.
Tyrese Haliburton attempted to recruit Team USA teammates at Olympics
Tyrese Haliburton made an effort to expand his WWE backup crew at the Olympics, working to recruit his Team USA teammates during his time in Paris.
In an interview, Haliburton touched on the recruitment of his Olympic teammates, looking to add talent to the Pacers' roster.
"I recruited every guy on that team, basically. Anyone that wants to come join us in Indiana, I'm all for it," Tyrese Haliburton told Oshkosh Northwestern in late August.
The Pacers had a quiet offseason following their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season but added a promising young big man in James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Indiana will run it back with their core of Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner after a successful season last year. The Pacers posted a record of 47-35 in 2023-24, with Haliburton averaging 20.1 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists.
Despite their strong showing last season, sportsbooks aren't respecting the Pacers' youthful core, entering the season with the 14th-best title odds in the NBA.