Stephen A. Smith on Monday made a comment about Tyrese Haliburton that he surely wants back.
The Indiana Pacers star looked hobbled in the first half of NBA Finals Game 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Haliburton went to the locker room in the second quarter due to a right calf injury but was able to return to the game before halftime.
Haliburton was a net negative on the floor for the Pacers in that first half. He went scoreless, missing all five of his field goal attempts, and had a -16 net rating at the break.
Smith commented about Haliburton’s performance (or lack thereof) during the ESPN halftime show. In his haste to get his point across, Smith accidentally dropped a quote that seemed to be in extremely poor taste.
“Listen, the bottom line is this. Haliburton has looked awful. I’m glad he’s injured,” Stephen A. said.
Stephen A Smith:
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) June 17, 2025
“I’m glad Hali’s injured” 😳😳😳pic.twitter.com/su8MN8gwWz
Smith immediately clarified that he misspoke. He added that he was glad an injury served as the “rationale” behind Haliburton playing poorly, rather than the Pacers star simply faltering during a critical game. But that didn’t stop his quote from spreading on social media.
Injury or not, Haliburton has had a few duds throughout the playoffs in between some spectacular outings. But based on the Pacers guard’s growing list of postseason game-winners, the man has never looked afraid of the moment.
