Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is quickly making himself a household name, and it is not even just for his actions on a basketball court (though it certainly helps).
In addition to coming off the best year of his NBA career, leading the Pacers to their first conference finals appearance since 2014, Haliburton has made multiple non-NBA media appearances. The Wisconsin native is becoming a regular guest on the Pat McAfee show, but perhaps more notably, he is also becoming a regular on WWE television.
The 24-year-old has been open about his love for the WWE and professional wrestling, which ultimately culminated in an appearance on a June episode of Friday Night Smackdown, where he went face-to-face with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson. While this was notable on its own, this appearance proved to be more than a one-off.
Haliburton showed up to an episode of WWE NXT a couple of weeks ago, cutting a promo and getting more action. His constant appearances have both earned him the support from an unexpected figure and, now, his very own custom championship.
WWE gives Tyrese Haliburton a special Indiana Pacers WWE championship
In a recent post to his Instagram story, Haliburton showed off a custom championship belt given to him by the WWE. The championship features the Pacers logo in the middle with a unique design around it. In his caption, the two-time All-Star simply said "Go 'cers" to represent the Pacers ahead of this year's training camp.
Tyrese Haliburton shows off his WWE Pacers belt 🔥🔥🔥
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) September 27, 2024
📸 Tyrese Haliburton’s Instagram pic.twitter.com/qNyeR0o5H2
This, funny enough, is not the only piece of gold the Pacers star earned this year. While it may not look as flashy, Haliburton earned an Olympic gold medal this summer while representing Team USA. He may not have made much of an impact as he sat out multiple games and took a backseat to players like Stephen Curry, but he achieved something that has not been done in close to a decade.
Of course, Haliburton and the Pacers are working toward taking home more gold next year in the form of the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but until then, this is something he can be proud of. It may not have any signficant meaning, but for someone who grew up a big wrestling fan, this is a huge step for Haliburton as he continues to make a name for himself.
For now, it remains unknown if Haliburton will make another appearance in the WWE anytime soon. However, we at least know the door seems to always be open.