BREAKING NEWS: Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went viral after the Eastern Conference Finals for assuming he won the series’ MVP award of the…see more

Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton went viral late Saturday night following an awkward moment during the Eastern Conference Finals trophy presentation.

After the Pacers were eliminated in Game 6 by the Boston Celtics, Haliburton—who had delivered a strong series performance—was seen approaching the podium with the assumption that he had been named the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Cameras captured the moment Haliburton smiled, clapped, and took a step forward before realizing the award was actually being presented to Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

The incident quickly lit up social media, with fans dubbing it the “MVP Misunderstanding” and creating memes comparing it to past award ceremony gaffes. Despite the mix-up, Haliburton took the moment in stride, later tweeting: “Lmao I thought they said Tyrese not Tatum. Congrats to JT. We’ll be back.”

Haliburton averaged 21.3 points and 8.7 assists per game during the series, solidifying his reputation as one of the league’s rising stars. Though the Pacers fell short of reaching the NBA Finals, the 24-year-old’s leadership and production were key to Indiana’s deep playoff run—their best in over a decade.

Fans and analysts alike praised Haliburton’s sense of humor and sportsmanship, with many predicting that his shot at conference or league MVP honors is only a matter of time.

As the Celtics prepare to face the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, Haliburton and the Pacers will now turn their attention to building on this season’s success and making another run next year.