NBA fans will be seeing a bit more of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton than originally anticipated this season.
The star guard, who led the Pacers to the NBA Finals last season before tearing his Achilles in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, will reportedly appear as a contributor on Prime Video’s NBA coverage this season, according to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. Haliburton will appear on Prime’s postgame show, NBA Nightcap, where he will give a behind-the-scenes look at his rehabilitation. His first appearance will follow Tuesday night’s NBA Cup quarterfinal doubleheader.
Per Friend, Haliburton’s appearances will be “periodic,” though he will also appear in short video “vignettes” related to his injury rehab throughout the season.
“I’m going to be talking about the games, talking about the season, talking about the NBA as a whole, which I’m excited about,” Haliburton told Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic. “I think, for me, and just NBA players in general, sometimes with the media — I think we all criticize — but the people who are giving us criticism, and the way that our game is talked about and the way that our game is digested is something that’s always bothered a lot of players.”
It is not uncommon for active players to pickup broadcast gigs, but those typically don’t come until the postseason, when half of the league is no longer playing. The unfortunate timing of Haliburton’s injury gives him the unique opportunity to contribute during the regular season.
The NBA on Prime has been generally well received in its debut season. Similar to the streamer’s NFL coverage — which leaned on familiar but new-to-broadcasting faces in the studio, and established announcers in the booth — Prime’s NBA studio has been a refreshing mix of new voices including Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin, and Udonis Haslem.
“I think that Prime is doing a great job of just allowing former players to come on and celebrate our game, which I think is better just overall for everybody,” Haliburton told The Athletic.
Haliburton, as an active player, would also qualify as new and refreshing. Surely he envisioned any sort of broadcasting debut under different circumstances, but at least he’s making the most of his recovery process. And given Prime’s history of successfully elevating new voices into prominent roles, the streamer likely offers the best opportunity for Haliburton to develop some media chops.