WWE predicted this Jalen Brunson & Tyrese Haliburton matchup 11 months ago 😆
The two stars beefed on WWE and will now play against each other in the Conference Finals.
The NBA script writers are cooking!
In a surprising crossover event, WWE seemingly foreshadowed the intense rivalry between NBA stars Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton nearly a year before their teams clashed in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals
On June 28, 2024, during an episode of WWE SmackDown at Madison Square Garden, Haliburton accompanied WWE’s Logan Paul to the ring, donning brass knuckles and drawing boos from the New York crowd. Brunson, seated ringside, leaped over the barricade to confront Haliburton, leading to a tense staredown that WWE officials had to break up. Later, Brunson entered the ring wielding a steel chair, further intensifying the moment
This WWE segment mirrored the real-life NBA rivalry that unfolded in the 2024 playoffs, where Haliburton’s Pacers eliminated Brunson’s Knicks in a seven-game series. The SmackDown encounter added a theatrical layer to their competition, blending sports and entertainment in a unique way .
Now, as the Knicks and Pacers meet again in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, the rivalry between Brunson and Haliburton has reached new heights, both on the court and in the ring.
