Pacers star could have rare chance to defeat biggest rival again off the court

In the last few months, many would say the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks rivalry has been revived. While Reggie Miller and John Starks are nowhere to be found on the court this time around, it would be tough not to recognize the heat between each team and their fanbases.

During the playoffs, the Pacers defeated the Knicks in the second round. Despite trailing 0-2, the Pacers overcame their series deficit to defeat the Knicks in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

Furthermore, many believe Knicks guard Jalen Brunson deserved a spot on Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics instead of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. This has led to heated debates about which guard is better and who has the better chance of leading their respective team to an NBA title.

Next season, Brunson and the Knicks will host the Pacers on national television in their first home game of the season. This will be a good chance for redemption for the Knicks, whereas Haliburton and the Pacers can assert their dominance once again with another win in New York.

However, it also seems that there could be another way for the two guards to settle their differences and gain the upper hand off the court.

In June, Haliburton and Brunson made an appearance on an episode of WWE Friday Night Smackdown. On Smackdown, the two had a face-to-face encounter that nearly blew the roof off of Madison Square Garden.

Of course, this was scripted and done in good fun, but it seems like another appearance in WWE is an option for both players.

Jalen Brunson not closing the door on a potential WWE match against Tyrese Haliburton

In a recent appearance at the 2024 Fanatics Fest, Brunson spoke about potentially returning to WWE and even having a match with Haliburton in the ring. The Knicks guard kept the door open saying, he is "never going to say never."

"I'm never going to say never," Brunson said. "But maybe we can speak it into existence."

Of course, agreeing to a sanctioned match is a two-way street between the players and the WWE. However, we have seen things like this happen before. Most notably, Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman had a tag team match in WCW in 1998.

While it seems unlikely, Pacers and Knicks fans could be watching their star guards square up in a WWE ring at some point in the future.