Tyrese Haliburton nailed a clutch buzzer-beater to send the Knicks vs Pacers Game 1 into overtime. The Pacers rallied back from a 14-point deficit in the final 2:30 of the game to eventually win it in overtime. Stephen A. Smith has been vocal in his support for the Knicks for a very long time. After the Pacers stole Game 1 in Madison Square Garden, Smith went on his show to make a bold assertion about Haliburton.
Jay Williams and Monica McNutt appeared alongside Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take show, where in a segment, they discussed whether Haliburton has qualified to be a superstar in the NBA yet. Williams and McNutt essentially agreed however, Smith profusely refused.
He said, “You’re both wrong, I’m not agreeing with you on this at all. And I don’t have to worry about how, you know, folks are coming late to the party. I wanted the Knicks to draft Haliburton; remember that I wanted them to draft Haliburton instead of Obi Toppin. I think he’s a damn good player, I think that he’s a star in this league, but superstar status is reserved for the select few and I don’t view him that way. However, and I know that he shows up in the clutch moment, he deserves our credit, he’s a big-time player, I like him a lot. I’ve always said that, so I don’t have to worry about how I’m being perceived in terms of what I’ve had to say about him because I’ve always celebrated him.”
Every shot from Tyrese Haliburton to tie or take the lead in the last 2 minutes this season pic.twitter.com/O3DwUty1JA
— Pitless (@pitlessball) May 22, 2025
Smith further added, “Having said all of that, I’m going to sit up there, M&M and Jay, and look at y’all like this, you’re talking about big shots, right? And you’re talking about how big shots qualify you as a star. Was Robert Horry a superstar? Nobody hit more big shots than that…what I’m saying is in terms of the big shots, I’m talking about the big shots, what you said about big-time shot-making. I’m saying when you bring up somebody that’s got about seven rings, when you bring up the Chauncey Billups’ of the world who hit big shots and stuff like that, there have been plenty of people throughout NBA history that were really damn good and hit big time shots. But they still weren’t labeled a superstar, so just because you show up in the clutch and you make big shots doesn’t make you a superstar, that is my point … The brother is a star, people who labeled him overrated were just hating, they should be ashamed of themselves. When I think superstar, I’m thinking Steph, I’m thinking LeBron, I’m thinking people like I’m thinking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.”
Stephen A. has very cleverly tried to disguise his criticism by saying he’s a star player but not yet a superstar. However, it seems that Smith’s opinion is slightly biased due to his team suffering from the actions of Haliburton and is stuck with the old school notions of what it means to be a superstar.
Haliburton has averaged 18.7 points, 9.5 assists, and 5.4 rebounds in 11 games in this season’s Playoffs. In my opinion, Haliburton has qualified for the superstar status after carrying a team like the Pacers to the ECF two seasons in a row.
