The Oklahoma City Thunder have already secured their spot in the 2025 NBA Finals, and no matter who they face, the Western Conference powerhouse will be heavily favored to win its first championship in franchise history. Though, regardless of the outcome, there is a distinct possibility the player most associated with these playoffs is Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Former All-NBA First-Team selection and nine-time All-Star Paul George seems to be of that mindset. He is ready to crown the 25-year-old.
“In my eyes, I think he is a superstar. He’s the face of the NBA,” George said on his podcast, via ClutchPoints. “He is the number 1 option… He’s been a clutch performer late in games… I want to see him continue to do this which I know he will.”
George, someone who knows what it is like to be the top guy in Indiana, is bestowing a heaping pile of praise on Haliburton. His “face of the NBA” endorsement comes after retired guard Gilbert Arenas discussed the topic. An anonymous executive also compared the rapidly rising talent to Stephen Curry. The Haliburton phenomenon is sweeping the nation.
Remember, this is the same guy who was voted most overrated player in the league by his peers in a poll that dropped in April. What a difference five weeks and a historic postseason makes. Of course, the two-time All-NBA Third-Team selection did not just come out of nowhere. He helped guide the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and has been a first-rate playmaker for the last few years. But this is his “I’ve arrived” moment.
“In my eyes, I think he is a superstar. He’s the face of the NBA. He is the number 1 option… He’s been a clutch performer late in games.”
Paul George on Tyrese Haliburton 🙌
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/wnv0ziLQk5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 29, 2025
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Can Tyrese Haliburton get to the top by leading Pacers to uncharted territory?
There is a stark difference between being a star and a certifiable superstar. Although his individual accolades do not necessarily stack up with those of who dwell in the NBA’s upper echelon, legacies are most defined by what one does on the big stage. Tyrese Haliburton is thriving in the playoffs, leading the Pacers to within one win of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. He is forcing everyone to re-consider where they place him on the totem pole.
Paul George is getting ahead of himself by throwing out the “face of the NBA” label, but there are no obvious successors to LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards face an uphill battle in the grueling West. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic have interesting yet low-key personalities that do not historically fit the illustrious moniker. Luka Doncic can potentially attain such status if he leads the Los Angeles Lakers back to the apex, and Giannis Antetokounmpo can maybe do the same in a specific market. Haliburton might be a sleeper.
Despite being polarizing, the former three-star recruit possesses the clutch prowess, lively demeanor and opportunity — as afforded by the weaker Eastern Conference — to deeply resonate with the masses. If he helps hang a championship banner in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Haliburton could possibly become the most prominent figure in the sport (excluding James and Curry). He has a ways to go, however.
Such conversations do not concern him at the moment. The Pacers must focus on closing out the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and perhaps then everything else will work itself out.
