Haliburton credit Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum for “maintaining it 100” conversations that helped him construct that immunity to rejection. Embiid, who has been topic to ridicule as he fails to remain wholesome, has been texting with Haliburton all through the postseason, imploring him to shoot the ball extra. “Sooner or later, worrying about what my friends assume solely holds a lot weight. I believe my friends (whom) I actually respect, that adjustments issues,” Haliburton mentioned. “For that ballot, there’s no names to faces, it’s all nameless. Having relationships with guys like Jayson and Joel, who are guys that I know at the top of the game, them being honest with me, that’s important. I respect their opinions more than anybody.” -via New York Times / Could 7, 2025