The NBA Playoffs were already off the rails. But nobody absolutely nobody saw this coming. A red-hot Eastern Conference Finals, a full-blown Knicks-Pacers blood feud, and now? A surprise crossover plot twist that’s got WWE fans and NBA diehards hitting refresh on the same damn page. Something bigger is brewing than just buzzer-beaters.

You’d think the wildest part would be the Knicks getting cooked on their home floor. Or Tyrese Haliburton pulling off some wild anime-level revenge arc. But nope. The real chaos? It lives on WWEShop.com. In a plotline straight outta 2K MyCareer, a certain NBA star’s name is now headlining WWE’s hottest merchandise list. Yep, we’re talkin’ wrestling shirts.

In a tweet that had both fanbases spiraling, WrestleSeek revealed the WWE Shop’s current top five sellers and sitting proudly at number 3? None other than Tyrese Haliburton’s “Tyrese 3:17” tee. Right behind Jacob Fatu and Karrion Kross, and ahead of John Cena himself. Let that sink in. The same Haliburton who sent Jalen Brunson and the Knicks packing in the ECF. The same dude who went face-to-face with Brunson in a WWE segment months ago. WWE had dropped their merch right before Game 1, almost like they knew what was about to go down.

Think about the timing. This isn’t just synergy. It’s long-term storytelling 101. WWE’s been milking that Haliburton-Brunson moment since the second it aired back in June 2024. SmackDown at MSG, Logan Paul, brass knuckles, Brunson leaping in like a hero you remember the chaos. And now? That WWE seed bloomed into a legit ECF war. As soon as both shirts hit the shop, it was game on. But Haliburton didn’t just win on the court. He’s winning the merch war too.

And here’s the kicker: this ain’t just a niche gag. WWE Shop numbers are serious business. They don’t play around with shelf space. The fact that Haliburton’s tee beat out Cena’s new St. Louis drop? That’s wild. Toss in the Pacers wiping out the Knicks in a Game 7 blowout and it starts to feel… scripted. Like, Triple H levels of long-term booking. Let’s not forget WWE reposted that Brunson-Haliburton clip days before Game 1. This was all too perfect!

Now, fans can’t stop talking. And they sure had a lot to say when WrestleSeek dropped the merch list on X. Comments flew in from every corner of the internet from confused casuals to WWE stans, everyone had a hot take.

Fans are losing it over Haliburton’s “3:17” tee

Some folks had to do a double take. One fan couldn’t believe their eyes, saying, Jesus that Halliburton shirt is actually selling? That disbelief? It wasn’t just sarcasm. It was genuine shock. Tyrese Haliburton isn’t exactly a household name in WWE land. But after Game 7 and a viral shirt, he’s now selling out like he’s Roman Reigns.

Others were just flat-out confused. Who the f**k is Tyrese Haliburton and why is he number 3? asked one bewildered user. To be fair, if you missed the NBA playoffs and SmackDown, you might think this was some new NXT guy. But nope he’s an NBA All-Star who just walked into a wrestling storyline and flipped it into merch gold.

Then there was the comic relief. One fan deadpanned, they need to add a plain white tee it would be top 10. Now that’s sarcasm at its finest. Because let’s be real, Haliburton’s shirt being a top seller is already surreal. But imagine a no-print tee going viral next? WWE fans would totally buy it if it had a storyline behind it.

Some fans just kept it short and stunned. What the Hali, one user wrote. No punctuation. No further context. And honestly? That summed it up perfectly. The sheer randomness of this merch chart had people speechless. It wasn’t just hype. It was WTF is happening in real time!

And of course, there were the lore diggers. One fan went full deep dive, asking, What is the meaning behind 3:17? Like it was a lost verse from the Bible or something. And to be fair? WWE’s been tight-lipped on the origins. Is it a play on Stone Cold’s 3:16? Haliburton’s jersey number plus divine chaos? Maybe that’s the magic no one really knows, but everyone wants to.

At this point, whether you’re a Knicks fan crying into your Brunson jersey or a Pacers fan printing your own 3:17 signs, the line between fiction and reality is beautifully blurry. Tyrese Haliburton just turned a basketball feud into a sports entertainment goldmine.

And the merch sales? They don’t lie. WWE may not have written the script. But damn if it doesn’t feel like they did!