Over the past few months, many have said that the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks has reignited. Even with Reggie Miller and John Starks missing from the court this time around, it would be hard not to acknowledge the tension between each team and their fans.
In the playoffs, the Pacers defeated the Knicks in the second round. Despite trailing 0-2, the Pacers overcame their series deficit to defeat the Knicks in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Additionally, many believe that Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson deserved a spot on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, instead of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. This has led to heated debates over which point guard is better and who has the best chance of leading their respective teams to the NBA title.
Next season, Brunson and the Knicks will host Pacers on national television in their first home game of the season. It will be a good chance for the Knicks to redeem themselves, while Haliburton and the Pacers can assert their dominance once again with another victory in New York.
However, it also seems like there might be another way for the two guards to settle their differences and gain the upper hand off the court.
In June, Haliburton and Brunson appeared on an episode of WWE Friday Night SmackdownOn Smackdown, the two men had a face-to-face encounter that nearly blew the roof off Madison Square Garden.
Sure, it was scripted and done in good humor, but it seems like another WWE appearance is an option for both players.
During a recent appearance at Fanatics Fest 2024, Brunson spoke about a possible return to WWE and even a match with Haliburton in the ring. The Knicks guard kept the door open, saying he was “I will never say never.“
“I’ll never say never,” Brunson said. “But maybe we can make it happen through speech.”
Of course, agreeing to a sanctioned match is a two-way exchange between the players and WWE. However, we have seen things like this happen before. Most notably, Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman had a tag team match in WCW in 1998.
While it seems unlikely, Pacers and Knicks fans could see their star guards face off in a WWE ring at some point in the future.
