NBA Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway has no problem with trash-talk.
He was one of the best at it during his playing days but says Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton does it too much. Hardaway said Haliburton would be the one player he wishes he could have faced in his prime.
"He talks a little bit too much," Hardaway said. "... If there's one guy that I want to go play against, I wanna go play against him in my prime to show him and shut him up. Just shut up and play man, because you're not really like that."
Hardaway also called Haliburton a liability on defense.
"You're just a guy that's going to come out and play," Hardaway said during an appearance on the Run It Back podcast with Lou Williams and Chandler Parson. "You're doing what you're supposed to do. Credit where credit is due. He's out there balling ... But on defense, I'm not hiding on defense. They hide him on defense. You're not sticking the best point guard."
If Tim Hardaway Sr. and Tyrese Haliburton are both in their primes, who’s winning this matchup? 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/sgW3hOlUy9
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 10, 2025
It is unknow why Hardaway chose to single out Haliburton. Maybe it's Hardaway's way of motivating Haliburton to play at another level. The two going up against each other 1990s would have been fun to watch.
"Live up to all the hype," Hardaway said. "If you're going to talk smack, you've got to go out there and do what you're supposed to do against the best. Play against the best, defend the best."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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