Now in his third full season with the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton has blossomed into one of the top point guards in the NBA. He is a two-time All-Star, a one-time assists champion, and a one-time All-NBA selection (with another one potentially on the way). Furthermore, he led the Pacers to the conference finals last year and is crucial to the team's offensive identity.
Despite his recent success, not everybody is a fan of Haliburton, and this is now clear after a Basketball Hall of Famer threw shade at the Pacers guard in a take that fans will roll their eyes over.
Tim Hardaway Sr. calls out Tyrese Haliburton
In a recent appearance on FanDuel's Run It Back, Basketball Hall of Famer and former Pacers point guard Tim Hardaway Sr. called out Haliburton. Hardaway said Haliburton talks too much trash and is "not really like that." Additionally, the Chicago native said, if he had to go up against any current player one-on-one, it would be Haliburton (X link).
“He talks a little bit too much...if there's one guy that I want to go play against, I wanna go play against [Tyrese Haliburton] in my prime... just shut up and play man, because you're not really like that," Hardaway said.
Hardaway's main problems with Haliburton is that he is too much of a trash-talker and cannot back his trash talk up. However, Haliburton is one of the best point guards in the NBA today and is fresh off leading his team to the conference finals. Additionally, Haliburton just turned 25 years old and still has his whole career ahead of him.
It is unclear exactly why Hardaway has problems with Haliburton or what it would take for him to change his mind. Regardless, the Pacers guard has constantly improved every season of his NBA career and is putting together another solid campaign this year.
Regardless of what Hardaway says about him, it is fair to assume that Haliburton has his eyes set on something else--an NBA title. With just over a month left in the regular season, the Pacers are the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and in a good spot to make another deep playoff run this year. Though there will be a lot of challenges and obstacles in their way, the Pacers have proven that they can exceed expectations and rise to the occasion.
As it stands, the Pacers are not a favorite to win the NBA Finals this year. However, if Haliburton and company can go on another magic run like they did last season, Hardaway would have no choice but to take his comments back.