T-Mac doesn't think Haliburton is a superstar: "He is a really good basketball player on a really good basketball team"
Tyrese Haliburton's standing in today's NBA has been a popular point of discussion. Even though he just authored one of the greatest playoff runs of all time, which Hali, unfortunately, couldn't finish after suffering an Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, some still aren't convinced of his superstar status.
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One person who remains skeptical is former NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. In a recent interview on the "Club 520" podcast, T-Mac shared his thoughts regarding Hali and why he doesn't think he has reached that level of stardom just yet.
A divisive player
Haliburton has been one of the most divisive players this season. After getting voted by his peers as the most overrated player in a poll made by "The Athletic," he went on to lead the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.
Along the way, Tyrese made one unbelievable clutch shot after another to boot out a who's who of NBA superstars. This included Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. But despite his incredible showing, T-Mac still doesn't think Hali is worthy of being tagged as a superstar.
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"I don't think he's a superstar. Nah, nah, nah — he no superstar. He's not," McGrady stressed. "I think he's a really good basketball player on a really good basketball team, coached by a really brilliant basketball mind."
Tyrese averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists in the regular season and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In the postseason, his numbers actually dipped as he put up 17.3 points and 8.6 dimes per contest, which led Tracy to not include him as one of the top three players in the Finals.
"It's been a great run even though you're like, probably like the fourth or fifth best player in this series," he emphasized.
Related: "Unlike myself, he gets to join a team that's established right with HoF guys" - LeBron explains why Flagg is in an ideal position to immediately succeed
T-Mac believes Hali needs to be more impactful
If there's one person who knows what it's like to be a bona fide superstar, it's McGrady. Granted, he wasn't able to lead any of his teams past the first round of the playoffs, but he still amassed numerous accolades, such as two scoring titles, seven All-Star berths and All-NBA selections. Tracy explained that for Tyrese to really bring his game to the next level, he needs to be more impactful and do damage on either side of the floor.
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"You know what's crazy? Ty, for him to be so good, I identify him, when I look at Magic Johnson play basketball, I see Tyrese a little bit," Tracy assessed. "Here's what I mean by that: When you watch Magic play — dominant right-hand player. You don't really see them do too much on his left side of their body. Tyrese is the same way."
"If you only can be dynamic on the right side, and you got two killers that can play both sides all over the court, you think you going to beat me being dominant on one side?" he added.
McGrady recognized that Haliburton's game isn't predicated on putting the ball in the basket, even though he can do that. However, T-Mac expressed that the latter has to be way better than the four-point, seven-rebound, six-assist dud he put up in Game 5 of the finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"If you're going to have four points, damn it, you got to accumulate for your team at least 40 points. That has to be the accumulation," Tracy remarked. "If you want to be a superstar, I'm fine with four points. But give me 15 assists. Give me eight rebounds. That right there to me is like a Jason Kidd. That's having an imprint."
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While others may construe Tracy's comments as an OG "hating" on a young gun, some may see it as constructive criticism and something Tyrese can circle back to when he recovers from his torn Achilles and prepares to return to action.
Related: "In order to be a superstar, you have to sell out arenas on the road" - Perkins on why Haliburton isn't a 'superstar' yet
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
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