Tyrese Haliburton wanted to make his wedding even more special. He thought about bringing a famous artist to perform at the celebration. But he soon found out that hiring a big artist could cost a huge amount of money.

Some artists wanted as much as $750,000 for only a 30-minute performance. That price surprised the Indiana Pacers star and made him rethink his plan.

However, Haliburton did not end up without a special performance. His friend 50 Cent stepped in and gave him a wedding surprise.

Speaking with Speedy Morman on the Boardroom show, Haliburton explained how everything happened.

Morman first asked Haliburton about 50 Cent performing at his wedding and what the moment meant to him.

Haliburton said he had known 50 Cent for some time because of the rapper’s business connection with the Pacers.

“Yeah, it was awesome. It was special. We’ve been able to have a cool relationship for a while because his alcohol is a sponsor for the Pacers, so I got to know him,” Tyrese Haliburton said on the Boardroom show. “And it’s a cool relationship that we have. He was supposed to come to my wedding. He was helping me look for performers to perform at the wedding. Because I was thinking if he came to the wedding and a song of his came on, he would jump on. You know what I mean?”

Haliburton quickly realized that booking a major artist for his wedding would cost far more than expected.

“So I was like, who could we get to perform? And we went to a bunch of different people. He was helping me look for a bunch of different people. Prices is kind of crazy. I was not prepared for that,” Haliburton said. 

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, already had a connection with Haliburton’s team through his Sire Spirits brand, an Official Spirits Partner of the Indiana Pacers. The partnership includes Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne, which are official marketing partners in their respective categories.

Morman asked Haliburton how much artists were asking for a private wedding performance.

“30 minutes. 750 bands,” Haliburton said.

The price was $750,000 for a half-hour set. Haliburton said the request was far beyond what he was willing to pay.

“I was shocked. I was like, that’s not happening. There’s no chance,” Haliburton continued.

Private-performance booking fees are typically separate from the artist’s travel, lodging, hospitality and production-related expenses. For Haliburton, that wasn’t an issue.

“And I said, like, yo, I’ll pay for all the accommodations. I got you,” Haliburton said.

The conversation later shifted to the artists Haliburton would have wanted to book. Before naming anyone, he asked Morman whether the question included artists from any era.

“Like, what, dead or alive? Or you’re just saying,” Haliburton asked.

After Morman clarified the question, Haliburton named Ne-Yo and Usher as two artists he would have liked to see perform.

“Well, I had, like, it would have been really cool to get, like, Neo or Usher, but they don’t do… Usher don’t do weddings. I don’t know if Ne-Yo does weddings. If he does, he’s on tour right now. So that was, like, out of the picture,” Haliburton clarified. 

Haliburton also made it clear that more than one artist wanted a very high fee.

“I ain’t gonna say who was trying to whack me 750,000, but there was a few artists that were trying to go there,” Haliburton said. “There was no chance that was happening.”

Morman then asked if those artists knew they were talking to an NBA star.

Tyrese Haliburton said they did. He also explained that he tried to avoid the normal business process by directly messaging some artists.

“Yeah, they knew it was me. I thought to myself, let me not go the corporate route. I’m gonna just DM them. Hit somebody personally,” Haliburton clarified. 

Haliburton even had a direct conversation with one unnamed artist. At first, everything looked positive. The artist told Haliburton that he was a fan and appeared interested in performing at the wedding.

“I’m not gonna say who, but I had a conversation that was like, we wanna perform. They were like, I’m a big fan. I would love to. Next time you’re in town, we can get dinner. So I’m like, oh, that’s love,” Haliburton said. “Like, it’s gonna be… You know, I’m thinking, if they say a number, it ain’t gonna be that… He’s like, here’s my manager’s number. Put them in touch with your manager. Something like that. It’s over. It’s done.”

Tyrese Haliburton thought the deal might be easy because of that conversation. But everything changed when the managers started talking about money.

“Like, here’s who’s performing. Yeah, and then they were like, 750. So I hit him. After the managers… My manager told me that, so I hit him. I said, hey, man, I can’t do that. But if you want… I can pay for the PJ accommodations,” Haliburton said. “You good. Like, take care of it completely. He left me on red. So after that, I said, it’s over with. I’ll never… I’m not rocking with him.”

The situation clearly changed Haliburton’s feelings about the unnamed artist. When Morman suggested that Haliburton should stop listening to that artist, he agreed.

“For sure,” Haliburton agreed.

Morman then joked that Haliburton could no longer play the artist’s music. Haliburton again agreed.

“No, never. Out of respect,” he said. 

Tyrese Haliburton made it clear that the $750,000 demand changed his feelings, and he no longer wanted to support or listen to the unnamed artist.

50 Cent steps in after Tyrese Haliburton drops performance plan

After dealing with the high prices, Haliburton decided he would not hire anyone to perform at his wedding. That was when 50 Cent stepped in. Haliburton said 50 Cent told him not to worry because he would perform himself.

“Yeah, so then after I got to the point, I was like, yo, I ain’t gonna do none. He’s like, nah, I’m gonna do it, bro. Don’t trip. So then him and his team, he was like, I’m not gonna come to the wedding because I wanted to be a surprise,” Haliburton on 50 Cent helping him. 

Haliburton said 50 Cent had initially planned to attend the wedding as a guest. According to Haliburton, that plan changed when the rapper decided to make his appearance a surprise performance, and Haliburton kept it from the other guests.

“So he was supposed to be a guest. That just switched to him just coming to perform, which was pretty cool because I literally didn’t tell anybody. You know, you have some people getting ready to, like, peel out,” Haliburton said. “And I’m like, hey, man. If I was you, I was kidding. Like, you might want to wait just a little bit. And then he came in with Yayo and Murda and everybody. It was dope.”

The surprise came during Haliburton’s wedding celebrations with his longtime partner, Jade Jones. The couple had been together for about seven years. They attended Iowa State, where Haliburton played basketball and Jones was a cheerleader.

Tyrese Haliburton proposed to Jones at Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum in July 2025. The couple legally married at an Indianapolis courthouse on July 21, 2026.

They later held a bigger wedding celebration in Dallas on August 1. That was where 50 Cent gave the surprise performance.

Morman then asked Haliburton whether 50 Cent charged him for the performance. Haliburton said he did not. He only covered 50 Cent’s accommodations.

“No, he didn’t charge me. I took care of his accommodations, everything. And his love is just, that’s like, that’s family. So forever, I got his back forever for that. And I kind of was like, you post that video, you know,” Haliburton answered. 

Morman joked that Haliburton now owed 50 Cent a favor after the rapper performed at his wedding for free. For Haliburton, however, the moment was about their friendship rather than money.

“Yeah, for sure. But it was cool. It was love,” Haliburton concluded. 

In the end, Haliburton did not have to spend $750,000 to make his wedding special. After he gave up looking for a performer, 50 Cent stepped in and surprised everyone by performing himself. For Haliburton, the moment showed that his bond with the rapper is now more than just business.

What do you think? Could 50 Cent’s unexpected gesture make Haliburton’s wedding story even more memorable than any paid performance? Let us know in the comments.