Tyrese Haliburton Continues War Against Knicks Broadcaster Wally Szczerbiak

A sterling effort from Tyrese Haliburton marked the latest chapter of his bizarre feud with New York Knicks broadcaster Wally Szczerbiak.

Wally vs. Tyrese is the new Spike vs. Reggie. 

Indiana Pacers' rising star Tyrese Haliburton is keeping apparent tradition by waging war against a New York Knicks courtside prescience. 

Amidst a dominating effort that headlined the Pacers' 140-126 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night, Haliburton silently dedicated his 23-assist, 22-point output to Szczerbiak. As he built up his historic box score, Haliburton stared down the former NBA All-Star and current MSG Network analyst as he made his way up and down the floor.

According to Peter Botte of the New York Post, Haliburton played coy when queried about the glances toward Szczerbiak, rhetorically asking "Who?" A further report from Tony East of All Pacers declared that Haliburton was also asked if facing Szczerbiak's employers brought about further motivation, to which he simply replied "Yes."

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Haliburton vs. Szczerbiak has waged on for just over a year. The battle began in the aftermath of the Knicks' visit to Indianapolis last December, one that saw Haliburton shoot 5-of-16 from the field in a 109-106 victory for New York. At that time, Haliburton was campaigning for his first NBA All-Star appearance.

Then analyzing game highlights in the MSG studio for the network's postgame show, Szczerbiak referred to Haliburton as "Mr. Supposed Wannabe Fake All-Star" over a clip of the Pacer putting up a late misfire that would've given Indiana the lead with 12 seconds left. Haliburton later changed his profile picture on X (then known as Twitter) to a headshot of Szczerbiak when he officially earned his All-Star bid. 

Szczerbiak, a 10-year NBA veteran and 2002 All-Star, primarily serves as a studio analyst on MSG though he has served as the gameday color commentator alongside play-by-play man Mike Breen during the Knicks' recent road-heavy schedule in place of Walt "Clyde" Frazier. 

To his credit, Szczerbiak has taken Haliburton's barbs in stride and even shared a friendly conversation with the Pacer's father John after the game, an exchange he documented in the aftermath of Saturday's loss. 

Tyrese Haliburton stared down Wally Szczerbiak in the fourth quarter tonight 💀 pic.twitter.com/mFIR0gnEXp

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 31, 2023

"I told him 'My apologies, that was not my finest hour' when I called his son a wannabe fake all-star. He's an absolute superstar," Szczerbiak said during the MSG postgame. "John Haliburton was a great guy. He said 'Don't worry about it. We've all had moments like that. We forgive you, my man.'"

The ending calendar year was a bona fide breakout for Haliburton, who will more than likely return to the All-Star Game when it's hosted at the Pacers' pad of Gainbridge Fieldhouse this February. 

Haliburton made both franchise and league history against the Knicks on Saturday night: with 23 assists, he tied the Pacers' single-game record set by Jamal Tinsley in 2001 and also joined Magic Johnson and John Stockton as the only players in NBA history to put up at least 20 helpers in consecutive games. 

At his current pace, Haliburton will continue to be a sore spot for Knicks fans: New York could've taken him out of Iowa State with the eighth pick of the 2020 NBA Draft but opted for Dayton forward (and current Pacer) Obi Toppin. Haliburton went to the Sacramento Kings four picks later and was traded to Indiana in 2022. 

Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers Still Heated Over Knicks Analyst's 'Wannabe All-Star' Comment

Szczerbiak and the Knicks won't have to face Haliburton again until he and the Pacers visit MSG Network's namesake on Feb. 1. In the meantime, the Knicks open the 2024 calendar year against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).