Several NBA players have been tagged as the most overrated by their colleagues in a publication’s annual survey before, but Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James thinks they are completely wrong for giving that title to Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton in 2025.
James blasted the take last year and doubled down on it on his own podcast, where he recently had the Pacers star as guest.
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They discussed a wide range of topics, including how some so-called analysts just want something to talk about and push narratives. They also expressed disapproval of people’s obsession with stat sheets instead of watching the game.
“I know you don’t care, I don’t care, we use it as fuel,” James said.
“But we have too many watchers of stat sheets. … Everything in the whole narrative of our game is getting a bucket and if he’s not a bucket getter, then he’s not great. He’s overrated, he ain’t a bucket-getter.”
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Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton celebrates a made shot.Brad Penner-Imagn Images
(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
The Lakers star then expressed disgust about how the two-time All-Star got disrespected by his own colleagues. James even had choice of words to those who branded his guest as overrated.
“I just think it’s just ridiculous sometimes and the fact that some of our counterparts and colleagues even fed into that [expletive] too… probably the bums of our league but we won’t get into that,” James shared.
The Lakers star was among the few to immediately speak out against overrated tags placed on Haliburton. He turned to X in May last year to slam those voters after witnessing the Pacers punish the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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Haliburton hit clutch shots after clutch shots to lead the Pacers to series wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cavs and the New York Knicks. They had a chance to win it all, but he suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter of the NBA Finals Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. His teammates bowed to the Western Conference giants without him, falling 103-91.
Haliburton is not expected to return for the struggling Pacers this season, as he remains focused on a full recovery. However, he’s been busy with his side gig as a player contributor for NBA on Prime’s coverage.
Related: Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton Lands New Role Amid NBA Season
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.