NBA star Tyrese Haliburton channels inner Patrick Mahomes as Pacers land Obi Toppin from Knicks

Tyrese Haliburton has a new teammate, and to celebrate, he is comparing himself to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

A day after agreeing to a five-year, $260-million extension with the combo guard (whom they had acquired in exchange for Domantas Sabonis in the middle of the 2021-22 season), the Indiana Pacers acquired power forward Obi Toppin from the New York Knicks. NY will receive two second-round picks in return.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal will not become final until Thursday.

Adrian Wojnarowski

@wojespn

Knicks are finalizing trade to send F Obi Toppin to the Pacers for two future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Deal gives Toppin an opportunity to play a more significant role in Indiana and stacks up more draft assets for New York. Deal can’t be completed until Thursday.

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Knicks are finalizing trade to send F Obi Toppin to the Pacers for two future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Deal gives Toppin an opportunity to play a more significant role in Indiana and stacks up more draft assets for New York. Deal can’t be completed until Thursday. https://t.co/suJPu8dXyM

Haliburton went to Twitter to react to the news:

"Imma be on my Mahomes/Tyreek omg “F*ck it, Obi up there somewhere!”

Tyrese Haliburton

@TyHaliburton22

Imma be on my Mahomes/Tyreek omg “Fuck it, Obi up there somewhere!”🤣🤣🤣

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Imma be on my Mahomes/Tyreek omg “Fuck it, Obi up there somewhere!”🤣🤣🤣

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What has Patrick Mahomes been up to recently? A look at Kansas City Chiefs quarterback's latest activity

In the meantime, Tyrese Haliburton's new idol has continued to play sports... a different sport, that is.

On Thursday, Patrick Mahomes paired with fellow Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce to participate in The Match, a celebrity golf tournament that started involving elite athletes from other sports in 2019. This year, the two squared off against the Golden State Warriors' Splash Brothers, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

While scheduled for 12 holes, Mahomes and Kelce won the tournament in ten. The tournament never ran out of funny moments, from Kelce drinking beer in between holes to Von Miller causing a golf cart accident:

br_betting

@br_betting

Travis Kelce chugging beers between holes

#CapitalOnesTheMatch

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Travis Kelce chugging beers between holes 😂

#CapitalOnesTheMatch https://t.co/W1MMwbhI1k

Quentin Sickafoose

@QSickafoose

We've seen Von Miller hit Patrick Mahomes before, but doing it with a golf cart might be a first #TheMatch

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We've seen Von Miller hit Patrick Mahomes before, but doing it with a golf cart might be a first 😂 #TheMatch https://t.co/UM96qfkPV7

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Could Patrick Mahomes own an NBA team? Analyzing what the NFL star needs to return pro basketball to Kansas City

Besides being one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL today, Patrick Mahomes is also currently one of the most prominent business minds in all of pro sports.

He has various endorsements, ranging from Hunt's ketchup to Adidas, and he also has ownership stakes in Kansas City's other pro sports teams: the Royals in baseball and Sporting Kansas City and the Current in soccer.

Back in 2021, Andy Dolich, a former team president in the NBA, outlined four requirements for a city to receive a new team:

Avidity - how large is the sports market?

Billionaire - is there one who can fund and maintain the franchise?

Community - will the government, businesses, and general public want to support this team?

Destination - is there a suitable place for the team to play in, and will fans want to go there?

Based on the criteria, Kansas City has a strong sports market (Chiefs, Royals, and soccer teams), a suitable venue (T-Mobile Center), and fan support, but Patrick Mahomes is not a billionaire. However, the Hunt family, owner of his Chiefs, is worth billions; so he could latch onto them and secure either an expansion or relocation.

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