A YouTube star and two NBA rivals enter a wrestling ring.
No, it’s not the introduction to a bad taste joke. Rather, it was the scene on WWE Smackdown at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday night, where Logan Paul convinced Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and his Knicks rival Jalen Brunson for a fight almost in teams with LA Knight.
Of course, Brunson and Haliburton haven’t met since the 2024 NBA postseason, where the former’s Knicks were defeated by the latter’s Pacers in seven games. Indiana would eventually fall in the Eastern Conference finals to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
Paul, of course, has parlayed his YouTube fame into a new career in combat sports and kayfabe wrestling, where he has also been able to promote his bottled water brand.
But Friday’s Smackdown wasn’t about selling water or the NBA. Instead, there was plenty of chest-thumping and saber-rattling between crowd favorite Brunson and the burgeoning Paul-Haliburton alliance.
Tyrese Haliburton and Logan Paul walk past Jalen Brunson before a WWE match at MSG
NBA rivals Jalen Brunson (left) and Tyrese Haliburton (right) stare at each other at MSG
Looking to put an end to any shenanigans, Brunson grabbed one of WWE’s ubiquitous folding chairs and entered the ring alongside Paul’s opponent, LA Knight.
With Brunson sitting front row, Paul began the performance by calling out someone with experience winning at MSG.
“Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton,” Paul announced to a chorus of boos from the New Yorkers in attendance.
Paul then calmly entered the ring alongside the lankier, 6-foot-5 former Iowa State guard, who first took a moment to look at Brunson.
A typical wrestling match ensued in front of the two NBA stars, who remained peaceful until Haliburton retrieved some brass knuckles from the crowd for Paul.
Looking to put an end to any shenanigans, Brunson grabbed one of WWE’s ubiquitous folding chairs and entered the ring alongside Paul’s opponent, LA Knight.
Some arguing ensued, but Haliburton and a defeated Paul eventually retreated from the ring, much to the delight of Knicks loyalists in the crowd.
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, Brunson appeared to be irritated by his surgically repaired left hand, which was broken in the Knicks’ Game 7 loss to the Pacers at Madison Square Garden.
He felt no noticeable pain, but Brunson looked at his left hand and shook it after stepping into the ring with the folding chair.
“Jalen Brunson grimaced at his surgically repaired hand while making a WWE announcement,” wrote Stefan Bondy of the New York Post in X. “It would officially be the worst way to get hurt.”
