"Please give me LeBron in the Royal Rumble": Fans react as Triple H tries to recruit Tyrese Haliburton for WWE main event

Tyrese Haliburton is no stranger to the world of professional wrestling. During the 2024 NBA offseason, the Indiana Pacers guard appeared on WWE programming multiple times, playing the role of antagonist to perfection.

On Friday, it was WWE that came to Haliburton's home turf as it held a kickoff for its 38th annual Royal Rumble event, which would be taking place the following day. The kickoff was held inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which meant that Haliburton just had to be in attendance. Sure enough, during the kickoff, the Pacers guard had a thrilling interaction with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque:

Triple H, a 14-time world champion during his pro wrestling career, asked Haliburton: "You got a minute?" The Indiana star agreed to have a backstage conversation, presumably about his entry into the 30-man, over-the-top-rope challenge that rewards its winner with a championship match on the grand stage of WrestleMania.

Haliburton's moment with Triple H got fans buzzing about the many possibilities for both the men's and the women's Royal Rumble matches.

"Please give me lebron in the royal rumble," one fan said.

"Big Brunson Reed aka Jalen Brunson comes out after and they eliminate each other," another fan wrote.

"Caitlin Clark should enter the women’s," a fan added.

More fans weighed in online whether Haliburton could make an appearance in the Royal Rumble.

"He’s in season and has a game tomorrow at 5:00 lmao it’s not him. Everyone needs to chill," one fan said.

"Game will end around 7, 5 min drive to the rumble, and the rumble won’t start till like 9 ish he could make it," a fan added.

At the least, it's possible that Haliburton could appear in a non-physical segment during the Rumble event, perhaps to antagonize a WWE superstar or two.

Tyrese Haliburton almost came to blows with Jalen Brunson in Madison Square Garden

Haliburton seems bound to make headlines with a Royal Rumble appearance, especially if he replicates his in-ring endeavors last year.

On the June 28, 2024, episode of "Friday Night SmackDown," Haliburton attempted to help WWE star Logan Paul cheat in a triple threat match that also involved LA Knight and Santos Escobar. Jalen Brunson, whose New York Knicks lost to Haliburton and the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semis a month before, wasn't having any of these dirty tactics:

It took a concerted effort from WWE officials to keep the two NBA All-Stars apart. Haliburton's buddy Paul ended up losing the match to Knight, who got his hand raised in victory by Brunson.