"I talked with Triple H": Tyrese Haliburton planned to walk out 'heel' John Cena in New York if Pacers won 2025 NBA title 

Tyrese Haliburton, an avid wrestling fan, came close to winning an NBA championship in 2025 after he led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals. However, he tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7, which ultimately led to a loss to the eventual champions, the OKC Thunder.

On the Impaulsive podcast with celebrity wrestler Logan Paul on Wednesday, Haliburton talked about a time when he wished to come out with the NBA trophy in New York with the then-WWE champion John Cena.

"I talked to Triple H one time. I was like 'if (John) Cena was a heel in New York and we win a championship, let me walk him out with the (NBA) trophy. (From 52:03)

"When I got hurt, the first two things was like, this game, next season, John Cena," he added.

During the NBA playoffs, Cena, whose wrestling character had turned to the bad side after winning the WWE Championship in WrestleMania, was enjoying his historic 17th world championship reign, outlasting Ric Flair's then-record of 16 titles.

At the same time, Haliburton was pulling out upsets, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks en route to the NBA Finals against the Thunder.

After scoring nine points in the first quarter, Haliburton then tore his Achilles, putting him out of the game and for the next season.

Despite his injury, Haliburton also appeared in WWE's Summerslam event last month, where he bestowed Cena with his crutch during his match against now-champion Cody Rhodes. The event happened in MetLife Stadium in New York, where most Knicks fans reside.

Tyrese Haliburton explains fandom with wrestling

Tyrese Haliburton has been vocal about his love for wrestling. In the same interview with Logan Paul, Haliburton described what wrestling meant to him.

“This is, like, my second favorite thing in the world,” the Pacers star said. “The first event I ever remember watching was WrestleMania 19. Like, I remember being a little kid. I was like three years old when that happened.”

“I’ve always just been a WWE guy. I have never even tried to, like, branch out. I just, like, what’s in front of me? And bro, WWE has been so good to me as people, we’ve grown, like, such a cool relationship. So it’s been so fun for me."

Depending on his recovery time, Haliburton is not expected to return to on-court action soon, giving him much time to keep himself updated with WWE storylines.