Why Tyrese Haliburton brought back the eastbay dunk

The East Bay dunk is where the player jumps in the air, moves the ball between their legs, and then slams it down. It was a dunk made popular by former player J.R. Rider in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game.

Since then, other players have tried it, including LeBron James. This past January, Jaxson Hayes wowed everyone with his Easy Bay dunk during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.

Haliburton sat out all of last season rehabbing as the Pacers finished with the second-worst record in the league at 19-63. The previous year, he averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. Along the way, Haliburton’s clutch performances made him into a folk hero in Indiana during the run to the Finals. They lost the Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.

Now, Haliburton is set to make his return on Oct.21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.