Reggie Miller came in Tyrese Haliburton's defense against Wally Szczerbiak's ungranted criticism.
Tyrese Haliburton is one of the biggest and most inspiring stories this 2022-23 NBA season. Following a heartbreaking exit from the Sacramento Kings last season, Haliburton is living a great moment with the Indiana Pacers, keeping the young team afloat in the competitive Eastern Conference while showing why he's one of the future stars of the competition.
His heroics this season have drawn a lot of attention, but as it always happens, they also granted him some criticism. A couple of weeks ago, Wally Szczerbiak called Tyrese a 'wannabe All-Star', which raised a lot of eyebrows around the league. The former player-turned-analyst received a big backlash after that, and it doesn't seem like people are done.
Kevin Durant clowned him after Haliburton went off in a recent game, and Szczerbiak himself admitted he made a mistake and called Tyrese an All-Star after he went off on the Miami Heat and hit a game-winning shot.
Reggie Miller Sends A Big Message At Wally Szczerbiak Over Tyrese Haliburton's Criticism
If you thought this was everything, the reality is that the people in Indiana will take every opportunity they have to kick Wally. In recent hours, none other than the greatest Indiana Pacer of all time, Reggie Miller, sent a message to Szczerbiak, telling him that Haliburton will be an All-Star this season and there's nothing he could do about it.
“By the way Wally Szczerbiak: He'll be on that All-Star team. Not throwing shade, but I am kind of throwing shade, he's not a fake All-Star, he will be an All-Star.”
Tyrese is having a terrific season with the Pacers, posting 20.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 10.2 assists in 37 matches this season. He's shooting 48.5% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. That's good enough to be heading to his first All-Star Game.
He's only 22 and the future is bright for Haliburton. If people keep messing with him as Wally did, perhaps he could take the Pacers to the promised land in seasons to come. But, even without that extra motivation, this kid is doing impressive things and you just love to see them.
More must-reads: