Lakers News: LeBron James Calls Out Tyrese Haliburton Haters

4 Min Read
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 26: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 26, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)

On Tuesday night, the Indiana Pacers eliminated the East’s top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in their second round playoff series thanks in large part to an outstanding performance from point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Most notable was Haliburton’s second quarter in which he hit all five of his 3-point attempts, scoring 15 of his 31 points to help the Pacers erase an early deficit, not to mention greatly impress Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

As is always the case when he isn’t playing, LeBron has been locked in on the NBA Playoffs and Haliburton’s performance on the road to take out the Cavaliers was an outstanding one. And it was one that should quiet doubters of the point guard, of which there are many, especially with Haliburton being named the NBA’s most overrated player in a recent anonymous NBA player poll.

And James made sure to throw that back in people’s faces as the Lakers superstar took to social media to call out all those who labeled the Pacers’ star overrated and praise him as someone any player should want to play with:

LeBron being on the side of Haliburton and loving his game shouldn’t come as any surprise as the Lakers star’s game is centered around his passing and vision, making the right plays and getting his teammates involved. Haliburton is the engine for this Pacers team and can completely affect the game without being a premier scorer, though he is more than capable at that as well and now Indiana finds themselves in their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.

A player being labeled as overrated is always subjective, but Haliburton seems to have used that as a bit of extra motivation and is now proving a lot of people wrong as he continues to lead his team to postseason success. And James is enjoying every moment of it.

Lakers’ LeBron James explains why he always makes the ‘right play’ in clutch situations

LeBron James surely sees some similarities between himself and Tyrese Haliburton as both are always looking to get their teammates involved and make the right play, regardless of the situation. LeBron, in fact, has come under scrutiny throughout his career for making the right play in clutch situations instead of just forcing up a shot.

But the Lakers star recently spoke about why he does this in the “Mind the Game” podcast. James made note of how he was taught to play the game a certain way and it always brought him great success at every level so he will always stay true to what got him to this point.

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Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.

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