NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton appeared on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast and revealed his intention to get physical in the WWE. Haliburton admitted to his countless attempts to gain permission from WWE COO Paul “Triple H” Levesque to take a table bump.
Haliburton told McMahon, “You know how many times I tried to convince your husband to let me go through a table or do something?… Put me through a table.”
The Indiana Pacers’ superstar had been denied due to potential legalities in his NBA contract. Haliburton said, “He’s (Levesque) like ‘the NBA would never let us” and I said, “Who cares?”
Hali in WWE
The 25-year-old is a lifelong WWE fan and has been involved in programming since 2024. His stare-down with the New York Knicks’ rival Jalen Brunson on Smackdown has led to incredible personal opportunities. Haliburton has received his own official WWE merchandise and was included in the WWE 2K25 “Dunks and Destruction” DLC pack.
WWE has a partnership with Indiana Sports Corp that will see Lucas Oil Stadium host major PLEs. The Royal Rumble took place in Indianapolis earlier this year, and the city has been promised both WrestleMania and SummerSlam. With Haliburton being the face of Indiana sports, it is expected that he will appear frequently for the WWE.
Celebrity involvement in WWE has always existed regardless of the reception garnered. The likes of Jelly Roll and Bad Bunny have both had successful matches in recent years. On the other hand, rapper Travis Scott’s run-in at WrestleMania is universally criticized. Whilst NBA fans have been clamoring for a showdown with Brunson, the probability of Haliburton stepping into the squared circle is zero.
Speaking on the Impaulsive podcast, Haliburton said the following. “I could never get in the ring because my pain tolerance is nothing.” He added, “I’ve been to the PC a couple of times and tried to run the ropes. And I’m like, these hurt. They hurt my back.”
The SummerSlam proposal
Although Haliburton is yet to fulfil his dream table bump, he did propose a less physical angle. He would have accompanied a heel John Cena to the ring with the Larry O’Brien trophy at SummerSlam in MetLife Stadium. However, this proposal was contingent on two things. Cena being a heel and the Pacers winning the 2025 NBA Championship.
Neither came to fruition as the “Never Seen 17 Time WWE Champion” would turn babyface on the SmackDown prior to SummerSlam. The Indiana Pacers would also lose Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Hali is a villain in New York, having eliminated the Knicks from the NBA Playoffs in consecutive seasons. The visual image of him holding an NBA title would have guaranteed major heat from the live crowd.
Unfortunately, Haliburton would rupture his Achilles tendon early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, ending the Pacers’ hopes of completing a Cinderella run. The saving grace for the Olympic Gold Medallist was that Cena used his crutch as a weapon against Cody Rhodes.
Tyrese Haliburton with the indirect assist! 😅 pic.twitter.com/OYPBBs8UdB
— WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2025
Haliburton will have to wait until he at least finishes his recovery before he takes his dream table bump in WWE.
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