Tyrese Haliburton’s 1st Signature Shoe Does Not Impress Fans: “Any Dude Pairs or Only WNBA???

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has seen his stardom rise over the course of the 2025 playoffs to now where he is considered a superstar.

Tyrese Haliburton’s 1st Signature Shoe Does Not Impress Fans: “Any Dude Pairs or Only WNBA???

Tyrese Haliburton and his Puma Hali 1 signature shoe (Image via FirstSportz)

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has used his stellar playoff performances to elevate himself from being just a star to a superstar in a matter of a few weeks. The 25-year-old is now playing in the NBA Finals after proving every detractor that they were wrong to underestimate him.

The first instance was when anonymous peers voted on a poll conducted by The Athletic. They rated the Pacers’ star as the most overrated player in the NBA. He answered back with his stellar late-game performances to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks.

He followed the same philosophy in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, overcoming question marks to defeat the best team in the East. Then in the Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, he helped his Pacers stage comebacks to win the first two games.

Even after he performed poorly in Game 3, it did not seem to faze him, and he came back with a vengeance, helping his team win in Game 4. Game 5 was not a poor performance from his side, but he knew that as the primary orchestrator, everything went through him.

He regained his focus and led his team to a standout Game 6 performance, earning their first trip to the NBA Finals in over two decades. Helping his team reach the biggest stage of all was Tyrese Haliburton’s biggest achievement of a season, where he also won an Olympic gold medal and notched another All-NBA team selection.

Ahead of the 1st game of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Iowa State alum walked into Paycom Center with his first-ever signature shoe. Puma also revealed close-up shots of the Hali 1 on their official accounts, however, fans were a bit confused.

Basketball fans troll Tyrese Haliburton’s signature shoe

Whenever a sneaker company launches a signature shoe, it releases it in its original colorway. There might be other colorways down the line, but the 1st edition is considered the launch edition. Seeing Tyrese Haliburton‘s first signature shoe launch in a shade of pink did not sit well with basketball fans.

They took shots at both the Indiana Pacers star and Puma for launching the first edition in a colorway that usually would not appeal to men. They were fine with the design, but found the launch colorway hard to digest. Social media was filled with such comments, examples of which are below.

Puma might launch a few other colorways down the line, but the initial reception has been negative to what both Tyrese Haliburton, and the company expected. The timing of this launch was supposed to help push its reach far and wide. Instead, the negative reaction to this launch might hinder its release.

Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s fathers link up before Game 1

Tyrese Haliburton would wear his Hali 1 signature shoe to take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Considering how momentous this occasion would be, there was another union that went viral.

Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to helm their teams in the NBA Finals
Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to helm their teams in the NBA Finals (Image via NBA/X)

John Haliburton, the father of the Indiana Pacers star, met Vaughan Alexander, father of the recently crowned league MVP. Both fathers were beaming cheek-to-cheek, knowing their respective sons were about to see their names be a part of NBA folklore.

Both of them embraced and then took their respective seats inside Paycom Center, with the Thunder having the edge in terms of home fan support. The Pacers will hope they can stage a comeback similar to the ones they did at Madison Square Garden in the East Finals.

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