Kendrick Perkins Apologizes to Tyrese Haliburton for Calling Him Overrated

Tyrese Haliburton has established himself as one of the NBA's biggest stars, especially after he led the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals. Yet in The Athletic’s anonymous player poll that season, he was voted the league’s most overrated player. Former NBA champion and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was among those who called him overrated, too.

However, fast-forward to the present day, it seems that Perkins has had a change of perspective on Haliburton's game. In a recent episode of NBA Today, Perkins publicly apologized for calling Haliburton overrated.

"Tyrese Haliburton, I'm sorry," Perkins said. "I was one of them that called him overrated two years ago, and I would like to issue a public apology. Because, young man, you are one of them. When we start to talk about Luka (Doncic), Jalen Brunson, and these top dogs around the league, we have to mention this young man. He led a team to the NBA Finals. This man is one of the best leaders in the game."

Before this preseason, the last time Haliburton played was in June 2025, when he and the Pacers faced the OKC Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Some believe Indiana could have won the title had he not torn his right Achilles tendon during that game.

Hali then had to skip the entirety of the 2025-26 season to focus on recovery. However, it seems like Tyrese hasn't lost a step. In the two preseason games he's played, Hali averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 17.0 minutes of play.

If rust doesn’t become an issue, Pacers fans can look forward to the team's resurgence in the 2026-27 season. However, we have to keep in mind that the East has stacked up in talent with the arrival of LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. It'll be interesting to see how Tyrese can overcome these new obstacles in his first season back.

Eastern Conference Rival Speaks His Mind on Tyrese Haliburton's Return

While Tyrese Haliburton had a lot of doubters, one of the NBA's all-time greats sees him in a different light. On his Mind the Game podcast, LeBron James spoke about Haliburton’s return from his Achilles injury and how important he is to the Pacers.

"We know what we've seen out of the Pacers two years ago," James said. "It was all predicated on his(Tyrese Haliburton's) pace... It allowed them to be what they turned into to be able to get to the finals."

"Nobody can move the needle like Tyrese can," James continued. "He is the head of the snake. We'll see where he is physically, and if he's anything close to where he was before (the injury), then (the Pacers) are going to put themselves in contention (for the NBA championship)."

In 2024-25, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. He missed out on what would have been his third All-Star selection but still made the All-NBA Third Team for the second straight year. More importantly, his season ended with an NBA Finals appearance.

To add to LeBron's train of thought, as long as court rust won't hinder Tyrese from leading his team come the 2026-27 season, there's a chance that he could still efficiently lead the Pacers to a deep playoff run.