Tyrese Haliburton dismisses ‘talking heads’ in NBA media: ‘What do they really know about basketball?’

Tyrese Haliburton has been dubbed overrated, he’s been questioned as an All-Star and a superstar, but none of the noise matters now that he’s two wins away from an NBA championship.

Haliburton has led the Indiana Pacers to an unlikely run to the NBA Finals. And he’s led them to an even more unlikely 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Following Indiana’s Game 3 win Wednesday night, Haliburton was asked about being criticized after low-scoring nights, even though he might be having a positive impact on the game in other ways.

“The commentary is always going to be what it is,” Haliburton said. “Most of the time, the talking heads on the major platforms, I couldn’t care less, honestly. Like, what do they really know about basketball?”

“At a time like this, I’m not really on social media as much,” Haliburton continued. “I try to stay off it as much as I can. But you see it, and ESPN might be on in my house and there it is, and it is what it is. But I think just seeing where I could be better is the most important thing and having that reflection with myself.”

Throughout this playoff run for the Pacers, Stephen A. Smith has repeatedly argued Haliburton is not a “superstar” in the NBA. Last month, Haliburton was voted “most overrated” by his peers in a player poll conducted by The Athletic. And three years ago, New York Knicks analyst Wally Szczerbiak made arguably the only interesting comment he’s ever had as a broadcaster, when he controversially called Haliburton a “wannabe, fake All-Star.”

Haliburton has undoubtedly heard the noise around his name throughout his entire NBA career. And the better he plays, the louder Haliburton’s critics appear to get. Some of it fueled by his dad’s antics, some of it fueled by low-scoring performances, his occasional ability to be a no-show, inconsistent shooting mechanics, and even his inconsistent voice changes.

On the contrary, Haliburton fills the stat sheet, he’s unselfish on the court, he’s great in interviews and he’s popular within his own team and city. Yet Haliburton has still become one of the most polarizing stars in the NBA, even if it was by accident.

“The commentary is what it is at this point. It doesn’t matter,” Haliburton said Wednesday night. “We’re here in the NBA Finals, two wins away from an NBA championship.”