Tyrese Haliburton Basks In The Boos Of Bitter Knicks Fans At WWE SummerSlam

Tyrese Haliburton is public enemy No. 1 among New York Knicks fans. And that's a role he's happy to embrace.

A huge wrestling fan, the Indiana Pacers point guard was in the building for the second night of WWE SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. He's a villain in those parts because of the intense rivalry between the Pacers and Knicks. 

So when Haliburton's name was announced over the loudspeaker, a chorus of boos rang down from the stands. The two-time NBA All-Star smiled, egged on the crowd and held out his arms to soak in all the hate.

Hali shared video of the not-so-warm reception on his X account.

"Missed y'all too NY," Haliburton wrote with Knicks-colored heart emojis.

A separate video showed Haliburton prior to the start of the event, walking on the stadium floor toward his seat in a walking boot. He's currently rehabbing from a torn Achilles he suffered in the first quarter of Game 7 of this year's NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The crowd had no sympathy, though. They booed him then, too.

One of those crutches, by the way, came in handy for John Cena, who snatched it up to wallop Cody Rhodes in the night's main event. Unfortunately for Cena, it wasn't enough to win the match.

So it probably wasn't much fun for the Knicks faithful not only to host their basketball arch nemesis but to see him become a part of the show, too.

After all, New York won't soon forget Game 1 of this year's Eastern Conference Finals, which the Pacers won 138-135 after making a miraculous comeback in the final three minutes of regulation. Haliburton put a bow on that comeback with his wild jumper at the buzzer to force the game into overtime at Madison Square Garden.

As soon as the ball bounced in, Hali hit the "choke" celebration, made famous by Reggie Miller against the Knicks in Game 4 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.

Sorry to make you relive it, Knicks fans. I know that one still stings.