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So, how do you even define aura? In the NBA, you see it in the swagger. Take Stephen Curry’s “Night, Night” celebration, where he casually tucks opponents to bed after a clutch play. Then there’s Russell Westbrook’s “Rock the Baby,” rocking his arms like a lullaby after dominating a matchup. And of course, LeBron James’ “Silencer,” where one big shot is enough to quiet the entire arena. Over the years, plenty of players have fallen victim to these signature moves, and rookie Ausar Thompson was no exception. He got a taste of it when Tyrese Haliburton hit him with one of his own victory celebrations.
The 22-year-old aspiring DPOY, Ausar Thompson, joined the NBA in 2023, getting picked 5th overall by the Detroit Pistons. The 6-foot-6 guard spent two seasons with Overtime Elite in Atlanta before making the jump. Since then, he’s played two seasons with the Pistons, averaging 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 122 games. And when asked about his rookie experience, Thompson didn’t hesitate to share his “welcome to the NBA” moment that stood out the most.
On TheYoungManAndTheThree podcast, Ausar Thompson spilled the exact moment he knew he’d truly entered the NBA hardwood. He said, “I would say my welcome to the league moment was when we were playing Indiana. I don’t know what game it was, but first off let me say this first I went down the lane and I dunked on Myles Turner right. So we come back. Probably a couple plays later and Haliburton makes me fall and then hits a three and then he skipped down the court and that made me, man, what a moment.”
“Haliburton makes me fall, and then hits a three, and then skips down the court” — Ausar Thompson on his “Welcome to the NBA” moment 
pic.twitter.com/JxtZIMdeEU
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) September 7, 2025
Thompson was talking about the November 2023 game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, where Tyrese Haliburton found himself skipping down the court with pure joy. It was a consistent victory move for Haliburton; he had skipped after several threes in the Pacers’ 157-152 win over the Hawks, posting 37 points and 16 assists, and even earlier in a loss to the Raptors. That day, he was skipping again after getting rookie Ausar Thompson to fall on a crossover dribble and then draining a three-pointer right in the face of Thompson’s teammate trying to help on the closeout. By the end of the first half, Haliburton already had 10 points and eight assists, showing why his “skip” move has become so iconic.
Tyrese Haliburton’s road to recovery
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