Tyrese Haliburton would consider getting paid in crypto as it is ‘definitely growing’ in the NBA

It’s no secret that the cryptocurrency economy has slowly been taking over the NBA, with influential franchises like the Lakers making their own home stadium the Crypto.com Arena. Despite the ups and downs of these currencies worth, some professional basketball players would consider someday getting paid this way, or at least a portion of their salary. 

One of the last to be asked about it was Tyrese Haliburton, who sat alongside the back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung in an interview with CoinDesk. The Pacers star was the first to answer the question if he’d be willing to earn a salary in crypto, and his answer was quite diplomatic.

“I don’t ever want to say never,” the All-Star replied. “With my schedule, I’m not day trading, but my brother does that a lot. So I could see myself taking a large sum of my contract and giving that to my brother to day trade and pay attention to the dips in the market. I can definitely see that being a possibility for me.”

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McClung also agreed that he would “never count it out.” Both athletes recently had a first-hand experience during Indianapolis’ NBA All-Star weekend, as Coinbase hosted a game called “moonshot,” which featured a dome that challenged fans and players to shoot the ball at the “speed of crypto.”

Haliburton participated and was impressed with the event. “All the technology was super cool,” he shared. “In the NBA, the presence of crypto is definitely growing, especially with the partnership now between Coinbase and the NBA, just the brand being there I think that’s caused more conversations to come about as of late. It’s not just the players. It’s coaches, security staff, it’s talked out throughout everybody.”

The relationship between cryptocurrency and the league isn’t new at all, as not only the Clippers and the purple and gold team share the branded arena, but teams like the Heat also used to play at the FTX Arena before being renamed to Kaseya Center following the exchange’s bankruptcy.

The Pacers guard then revealed that the first option he ever heard about was Bitcoin, and even at some point was interested in learning about Ethereum, especially as it served as the blockchain that hosted most NFTs.

Haliburton recently addressed the problems of the sports gambling industry and says he felt like a “prop”

In a recent interview, the Indiana superstar revealed that he’s been seeing a psychologist to help guide him through some of the problems within stardom, and being a professional athlete in an industry that doesn’t care too much about the player’s feelings.

“Just life in general, I think it’s important for us as basketball players, as men, to get those things out,” Tyrese shared on Tuesday. “Not everybody cares to hear how we feel. To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever … I’m the prop, you know what I mean? That’s what my social media mostly consists of.”

Haliburton then commented on the growing gambling industry that is slowly taking over the NBA. “I think all that stuff, it can be funny sometimes. Somebody’s like, ‘I lost a $1,000.’ Now, I don’t give a f***,” he expressed.

There’s no doubt that legalized sports books around the United States have started to affect the game and the actors around it. The 24-year-old acknowledged it is a sensitive subject, but is aware of the dangers. “To me, it’s like a slippery slope,” he said, as it makes the game “feel less pure.”