A YouTube star and two NBA rivals enter the wrestling ring.
No, this isn't the start of a foul joke. Reasonably, it was the scene from WWE SmackDown at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York on Friday night time, the place Logan Paul goaded Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and his Knicks rival Jalen Brunson right into a tag crew match with the LA Knights.
In fact, Brunson and Haliburton aren’t any strangers to one another following the 2024 NBA postseason, the place the previous's Knicks have been defeated by the latter's Pacers in seven video games. Indiana finally misplaced to the eventual champion Boston Celtics within the Japanese Convention Finals.
Paul, in fact, has turned his YouTube fame into a brand new profession in fight sports activities and kayfabe wrestling, the place he has additionally been in a position to promote his personal model of bottled water.
However Friday's Smackdown wasn't about promoting water or the NBA. As an alternative, it was a rousing show of chest-beating and sword-waving between crowd favourite Brunson and the rising Paul-Haliburton alliance.
Tyrese Haliburton and Logan Paul stroll previous Jalen Brunson earlier than a WWE match at MSG
NBA rivals Jalen Brunson (left) and Tyrese Haliburton (proper) stare at one another at MSG
To forestall any form of trickery, Brunson grabbed one in every of WWE's ubiquitous folding chairs and entered the ring alongside Paul's opponent, LA Knight.
With Brunson seated ringside, Paul started the present by calling out a veteran who has gained at MSG.
“Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton,” Paul introduced amid booing from the New Yorkers in attendance.
Paul then entered the ring with the 6-foot-5 former Iowa State guard, who at first took a second to stare down Brunson.
The 2 NBA stars started a typical wrestling match, which went quiet till Haliburton retrieved some brass knuckles for Paul from the gang.
To forestall any form of subterfuge, Brunson picked up one in every of WWE's ubiquitous folding chairs and entered the ring alongside Paul's opponent, LA Knight.
There was some arguing, however finally Haliburton and a defeated Paul left the ring, a lot to the delight of the Knicks devoted within the crowd.
Sadly for Knicks followers, Brunson bothered his surgically repaired left hand, which he broke throughout the Knicks' Recreation 7 loss to the Pacers at Madison Sq. Backyard.
He didn't really feel any explicit ache, however Brunson checked out his left hand and shook it after climbing into the ring on a folding chair.
“Jaylen Brunson made a face at his surgically repaired hand whereas doing a spot on WWE,” Stephen Bondy of the New York Put up wrote on X. “This must be formally the worst approach to get damage.”
