Tyrese Haliburton and Trick Williams Share SLAM Cover Ahead of the 2026 NBA Season

Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers’ point guard, and WWE star Trick Williams appear together on the cover of the latest issue of SLAM magazine. The cover photo is accompanied by the title “Showstoppers: Built for the Spotlight,” while inside the issue there is a feature by Kazeem Famuyide dedicated to their connections to spectacle and athleticism.

As Bleacher Report reports, Haliburton is a two-time NBA All-Star and is expected to return to the court this season after missing all of 2025–26 while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. During his 2025 playoff run he was a force by the numbers: 17.3 points, 8.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game on average. Meanwhile, during his time off the court he often appeared at major WWE events, including Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden, and played an anti-hero role trying to interrupt a segment with Roman Reigns and Knicks star Jalen Brunson. Trick Williams, on the other hand, stands out as one of the company’s rising names: he is a two-time United States champion and currently holds the title, with a trajectory toward the world title picture; he previously played college football as a receiver for the University of South Carolina and took part in the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie minicamp.

The two athletes share common elements such as athleticism and charisma, which made them a natural fit to share the cover of a magazine that connects basketball with pop culture. According to Bleacher Report, this appearance underscores how modern athletes build images that go beyond their fields and capture the public’s attention.