LeBron James is catching heat online—yet again, for praising Tyrese Haliburton. Huh?
As the Cleveland Cavaliers were being sent home by the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Akron native took to social media to salute Tyrese Haliburton’s electric performance. The post, meant as admiration, rubbed some fans the wrong way—especially those still loyal to the Cavs.
The Pacers, led by Haliburton’s sharp shooting and leadership, overcame a 19-point first-half deficit to win 114-105 on Tuesday night, closing out the series 4-1 and punching their ticket to a second straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Haliburton was dominant in the series, especially in Game 5, dropping 31 points and dishing eight assists while hitting 6-of-10 from deep and shooting 10-of-15 overall. His second and third quarter run fueled Indiana’s comeback and sealed Cleveland’s fate.
LeBron, watching from afar as his own Lakers had been eliminated earlier in the playoffs, showed love to the rising Pacers star midgame with a tweet that read:
“Hali [expletive] hooping!!!! Where the lames who said he was overrated??!! Quiet as hell. That boy NICE and even more someone everyone would love to play with!”
While James’s comments were intended to celebrate Haliburton’s breakout moment, they landed awkwardly with some Cavaliers fans who saw them as a slight toward his former team, especially given the game’s high stakes and home-court setting.
Social media quickly responded, with critics questioning the optics of LeBron cheering on the opposition while his hometown team’s season ended in real time.
We’ll spare you the specific posts screaming outrage, but that’s the gist of the hoopla—pun intended.