Laughing At Puma Hali 1s, Tony Allen Refuses To Call Tyrese Haliburton A ‘Superstar’

Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout season has sparked plenty of debate about whether he’s officially entered “superstar” territory. His floor-general skills and clutch performances have certainly made him a household name, drawing widespread praise. But not everyone believes he’s reached that level just yet—and former NBA star Tony Allen recently made that clear.

Of course, there’s no official textbook definition of a “superstar” in the NBA. Everyone has their own criteria. Magic Johnson, for example, believes a player only earns that title when he can sell out an arena on the road.

By that standard, Haliburton still has some ground to cover. Allen discussed the topic during an appearance on the Out the Mud podcast.

Per Allen’s idea of what makes an NBA player a superstar, Haliburton hasn’t done enough yet. He cited a lack of consistency, especially in big moments. Allen pointed to the Eastern Conference Finals and the current NBA Finals, where Hali hasn’t quite lived up to the billing of a team-carrying star.

“If I can think of the people I’ve guarded, I’m thinking about superstar LeBron, I’m thinking superstar Harden, I’m thinking superstar, of top, KD…” he admitted. “Guys that actually move the needle…night in night out. Guys who for sure you can mark them down for for what they gonna do.” 

Superstars are also defined by a signature style of play—something others, especially the next generation, try to emulate. Haliburton doesn’t have that yet.

To drive his point home, Allen laughed off the idea of buying Puma Hali 1s, joking that a true superstar’s shoe should generate real demand. He admitted that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to become a legitimate superstar—and will likely get there before Haliburton. After all, the Canadian guard did win MVP this year.

That said, not everyone shares Allen’s opinion—and rightly so.

Dwyane Wade believes Haliburton is a superstar

The conversation around Haliburton’s status in the league has grown louder since he reached the NBA Finals. Some believe that if he wins, he could emerge as a frontrunner to become the face of the league. Many still don’t consider him a legitimate superstar—but Dwyane Wade isn’t one of them.

After watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals—where Haliburton hit the game-winner—Dwyane Wade was fired up. “Haliburton is a f*ing superstar… It’s one of the greatest games that I’ve watched as a fan,” he said.

But in reality, Haliburton was largely invisible for most of the night. Outside of his clutch shot, he scored just 12 points and drew criticism for an otherwise underwhelming performance.

So, it could’ve been the high of witnessing a game-winner that led Wade to make those claims—or maybe he sees something in Haliburton that others, like Allen, don’t.