Last month, fellow NBA players anonymously voted Tyrese Haliburton “most overrated.” Since then, the Indiana Pacers point guard has been proving them wrong. “I’m at my best when people are talking [badly] about me,” said Haliburton, who’s known for his quiet presence on the court.
During round one of the playoffs, fans in Milwaukee taunted Haliburton with chants of “Overrated.” On April 29, he silenced them with a game-winning shot as overtime expired. “Overrate THAT,” Haliburton posted afterward.
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LeBron James is among those who’ve taken notice. “Where the lames who said he was overrated??!!” the Lakers superstar wrote on X. James described Haliburton as quiet and nice, calling him “someone everyone would love to play with!”
In the second round of the playoffs, Haliburton helped his fourth-seed Pacers dispatch the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers, the East’s top seed. Now the Pacers are preparing for a second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals matchup, against either the Celtics or Knicks.
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton: ‘I’m Made in the Image of God’
In addition to his offensive prowess and exceptional passing, Tyrese Haliburton is also known for his growing Christian faith. Before last year’s Paris Olympics, where he won gold as a member of Team USA, the athlete listed 10 “essentials” he can’t live without. Atop the list was God’s Word.
“Over the last two years, my religion has become very important in my life,” Haliburton explained, holding up a Bible. “Just understanding that I’m made in the image of God in a world where you have a bad game and they’re killing you on social media, or confidence goes up and down, I can always come right here. This is my peace.”
Scripture also helps Haliburton “understand that I’m made in [God’s] image, and he’s the only one who can really judge me.” Although he “always believed” in popular verses such as Philippians 4:13, he admitted, “I never read the Bible… I [didn’t] go to church or nothing like that growing up.”
