Inside The Heat

Dwyane Wade Pays Ultimate Compliment To Tyrese Haliburton After Game 1

Shandel Richardson|
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrate after the Pacers defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrate after the Pacers defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was called the league's most overrated player earlier this season.

No one is saying that any more.

Haliburton hit the winning basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The underdog Pacers stole moment from the Thunder, who won a league-best 68 games this season.

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade was among those to give props to Haliburton. Wade posted a live video of him watching the final play on Instagram. After the shot went in, Wade yelled "Superstar" three times.

“Ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,” Pacers forward Myles Turner said of Haliburton. “Some players will say they have it, but there’s other players that show it, and he’s going to let you know about it, too. That’s one of the things I respect about him. He’s a baller and a hooper and really just a gamer.”

The shot was reminiscent of Wade's big moments as a player. He helped lead the Heat to three titles during his career. His performance in the 2006 Finals is considered among the best in league history. He averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists against the Dallas Mavericks, leading the Heat to the franchise's first championship. On Thursday, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins called it the fourth-best individual effort in the Finals.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here