NBA Stars Tyrese Haliburton & Jalen Brunson Join Forces With WWE Ahead Of Eastern Conference Finals
New York Knicks & Indiana Pacers stars strengthen WWE links with new t-shirts, WWE 2K25 character.
WWE has launched new t-shirt designs for NBA stars Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton ahead of the New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers Eastern Conference Finals, with Haliburton also set to become a playable character in WWE 2K25.
Haliburton and Brunson's shirts are now available for purchase via WWE's webstore, Meanwhile, Haliburton's addition to 2K25 was announced during last night's Raw, with the Pacers point guard joining the upcoming Dunk & Destruction DLC pack (available 25 June).
"I'm really excited," said Haliburton on Raw. "I got the opportunity to come and be in the Garden and experience that and be in the ring a little bit. So, I'm excited about being a playable character in the game and, yeah, it's going to be super cool."
Haliburton, a noted wrestling fan, appeared on WWE SmackDown at Madison Square Garden on 28 June 2024, where he and Brunson were involved in a confrontation angle. He was also featured at Fastlane 2023 and this year's Royal Rumble.
Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals tips off tonight at 8:30PM EST, as the Pacers and Knicks reprise their historic rivalry. Ahead of the series, Knicks guard Josh Hart commented on the WWE-like scripting during a press conference on Monday, saying (h/t MSN): "WWE writes a great script. There's gonna be a lot of guys that's going to be trying to get on WWE this summer."
"They're two of the best point guards not just in the East, but in the league. It’s gonna be fun," Hart said of Brunson and Haliburton. "They both have two different playing styles. Obviously, JB [is] more of a scoring guard. Tyrese runs that offense, gets guys involved, pushes the pace, those kinds of things. So there's gonna be [a] back-and-forth matchup, chess game, but both guys are extremely talented.
Brunson has averaged 29.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game during the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs, with Haliburton averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 9.3 assists.