Tyrese Haliburton’s historic triple-double showing has put the Indiana Pacers on the brink of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. Some would say he’s the beating heart of the roster. One who’s moving the needle, and arguably one of the best in the league. Ask Gilbert Arenas, however, and he would tone his status down a notch.
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Haliburton registered 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds against the New York Knicks earlier today, which took Indiana up 3-1 in the series. It wasn’t just any other great performance. Haliburton became the first player in NBA history to have 30 points and 15 assists without a single turnover. He effortlessly glided around the court and looked unstoppable against a rather frantic-looking Knicks defense.
Tyrese Haliburton is the first player in NBA history to drop 30/15/10 with 0 turnovers in a playoff game.
THE DIFFERENCE. pic.twitter.com/lqRJu2c9iO
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 28, 2025
With one foot already in the Finals (though the Knicks could still pull off a miraculous comeback), the question now is: What does this mean for Haliburton’s legacy?
Arenas was reacting live to Game 4 on YouTube when, after the final buzzer, a fan asked him whether Haliburton would be considered a superstar if the Pacers went on to win the ring.
The 3-time All-Star had no hesitation in saying no.
One could argue that Arenas was being harsh. He didn’t criticize Haliburton’s game—after today’s performance, few could. But he did take a dig at his past, pointing out that the Indiana guard hadn’t reached a true stardom level before entering the NBA, which, in his view, isn’t typical of basketball superstars.
“He’ll be a star, a great great player. But you know, like, most SUPER stars? They were that in high-school. They got that name, they started already. There’s a pipeline,” he said.
The ex-Warriors player then insisted that for a player to be a superstar, they must develop a distinct playing style, something that Haliburton lacks.
“Then the people who were unranked, somehow got it in college…their style of play, like a Zion, or a Ja Morant,” Arenas added.
Admittedly, Arenas wasn’t wrong. Haliburton was a name to watch in high school, but he wasn’t in the same league as sure-fire future NBA stars. A three-star recruit ranked outside the top 100 during his time at Oshkosh North High School in Wisconsin, Haliburton’s draft stock didn’t skyrocket in college either.
He was selected 12th overall in the 2020 draft by the Sacramento Kings and gradually improved to make a name for himself in the biggest basketball league in the world.
So, while Arenas is technically correct, completely dismissing Haliburton as a superstar simply because it took time for him to stand out would be wrong. Deny that he’s a superstar anywhere in Indianapolis right now, and you might just start a brawl.
