Tyrese Haliburton Had Waffle House Plans After Huge Game 1 Win

Who among us doesn't love some Waffle House after a hard day's work?

Josh Wilson | Jun 7, 2025

Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winner with 0.3 seconds remaining in Game 1 / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Some sports stars are s o well-known they can't go anywhere when they're on the road. Tyrese Haliburton is still apparently low-key enough to hit up some late-night eats when he's on the road, even after hitting one of the most clutch, game-winning shots ever seen in NBA Finals history.

After winning Game 1 for the Pacers, Haliburton told the camera following him for Starting 5, the Netflix series that biographs select NBA players throughout the year, that he had plans of hitting up Waffle House to close out the evening, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

He, of course, asked to keep that plan low-key so fans wouldn't be swarming for him at the establishment.

With two days off in Oklahoma City between Games 1 and 2, Haliburton should have had plenty of time to hit up Waffle House a few times if he wanted to. Unfortunately for him, his continued clutchness in the postseason will make being inconspicuous harder and harder.

Haliburton is effectively shooting above 100% on tie or go-ahead shots this postseason, one of many wild stats and feats he's accomplished, Tom Haberstroh documented recently. Doesn't mean you're too good to pop into Waffle House past midnight for an aptly-named All-Star Special.

Game 2 is on Sunday night. Haliburton has ensured it's must-see programming.

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Published Jun 7, 2025

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.