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"The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut
"The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton arrived at the PayCom Center with a pair of his just-revealed Puma signature shoes in hand. He wore the shoe during the contest and placed his game-worn Hali 1's on the table during the postgame interview.
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The Hali 1 is Haliburton's first signature shoe with Puma. The 6'5" playmaker signed with the German brand last October on a deal that included his very own line, and just eight months later, it's a reality.
But while the shoe looked dope, what made its on-court debut stunning was its owner's heroics. The two-time All-NBA third-team selectee hit the game-winning shot in last Thursday's Game 1. With his Pacers down 109-110 in the final seconds, Hali hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give Indiana the victory and a 1-0 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Former Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Jeff Teague said the Hali 1 couldn't have had a better introduction, as he compared it to the most memorable shoe reveal of all time — that of Michael Jordan.
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"That might be the most classic…That might be the greatest debut of a shoe since Mike when Mike did it with the 14s. That is hard. Game 1, Hali 1 dropped. The Hali 1 in Game 1. That's tough. That's a nice bing to it," said Teague.
MJ hit "The Last Shot" with the 14s
Designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 14 is perhaps the most memorable silhouette among Michael's shoes. It was the last shoe MJ wore as a member of the Chicago Bulls. It was also the first Jordan shoe released after his second retirement in 1998.
According to Nike's website, Hatfield gave Jordan a prototype of the 14s during the 1998 NBA Finals but told the Bulls superstar not to wear it in public because its release date was scheduled for later that year. However, because Mike loved the look and the fit, he modeled the prototype during the NBA Finals.
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MJ wore three different Jordan silhouettes during the 1998 NBA Finals. But the 14s stand out because they were the shoes he wore in Game 6, where he hit the shot that clinched the Bulls' sixth NBA championship in eight years. That iconic piece of footwear was released worldwide in October 1998.
Related: Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'"
Must be the shoes
Haliburton was mostly underwhelming in Game 1, finishing with just 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-7 from deep and an uncharacteristic three turnovers. But when it mattered most, he flipped the switch — channeling his inner "Black Cat" impersonation to bury the game-winner with just 0.3 seconds remaining.
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During the postgame interview, Haliburton shouted out his shoe, saying it was his "secret sauce" for Game 1. Later, he tweeted, "It's gotta be the shoooeeesss," which was an ode to arguably the most popular slogan for the Air Jordan commercials.
No matter what the future holds for the Hali 1s, their place in sneaker history is already cemented thanks to an all-time origin story. Sure, some will point to the Jordan 14s — but MJ had already worn those twice before hitting "The Last Shot." Haliburton laced up his Hali 1s for the very first time last Thursday and instantly made history. Overrate that!
Related: "I always go back to the UNLV Rebels of the early 90s" - Dan Patrick thinks that the Thunder have been so dominant that they don't know how to play one-possession games
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
