Haliburton says LeBron rejected Pacers pitch with emojis

All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton's attempt to recruit LeBron James to the Indiana Pacers appears to have been definitively rebuffed before James even became a free agent. The revelation came during a live taping of James's podcast at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Thursday, July 16.

Haliburton, the Pacers' star player, served as a guest panelist and disclosed that he had texted James approximately a month earlier, prior to James's official announcement that he would leave the Los Angeles Lakers. Haliburton said his pitch was straightforward: "If you wanna come to Indiana, we can make something crack." According to Haliburton, James's sole reply was a pair of laughing-crying emoji faces. The guard said that response marked the end of his recruitment efforts, effectively taking the Pacers out of the running for the 20-time All-Star.

The episode underscored the ongoing mystery surrounding James's next destination. During the podcast taping, Haliburton directly asked James if he had a decision to announce, but James quickly deflected, noting they had discussed the topic backstage and he would not be revealing his plans. James told the audience he is looking forward to the next...