INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 16: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 16, 2026 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 16: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 16, 2026 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)
Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to their rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks, on October 15. Despite being a preseason fixture that doesn’t count, things got heated within the first two minutes of their preseason finale.
Haliburton engaged in intense trash talk with the Bucks’ guard Ryan Rollins after the Pacers’ point guard was shoved to the ground on a hard foul. Tyrese Haliburton appeared to repeatedly call Rollins a ‘bi–h’ and was eventually assessed a technical foul.
Later, a leaked video surfaced on social media in which renowned lip reader LegendZ broke down previously unseen footage of the incident and revealed new details that led to it. Here’s an excerpt of what Haliburton and Rollins allegedly said to each other during the exchange.
“Yeah, you a b—h! You heard me,” Tyrese Haliburton said after Rollins pushed him to the floor.
“You ain’t tough,” Rollins allegedly responded.
“F–k out of here,” Haliburton said after he was assessed a technical foul. Haliburton then approached the officials to ask for a review because he felt Rollins intentionally pushed him.
“What’re you saying?” Tyrese Haliburton added when Rollins approached him moments after the incident.
“I ain’t do nothing,” Rollins seemingly said.
“You grabbed my jersey!” Haliburton exclaimed.
After the play went on with no wrongdoing found on Rollins, Tyrese Haliburton made a three-point shot and immediately seemed to take a jab at Rollins.
“Can’t f–k with me,” he allegedly said.
What Tyrese Haliburton Really Said To Ryan Rollins👀:
Hali: “Yea, you a b*tch! You heard me”
Rollins: “You ain’t tough”
Hali: “F*ck out of here, what you saying?”
Rollins: “I ain’t do nothing”
Hali: “You grabbed my jersey!”
Then, Hali hit a three and said: “Can’t fw me”
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) October 18, 2026
Many NBA fans felt off about this exchange. They flooded social media with reactions criticizing Tyrese Haliburton for creating unnecessary drama.
“Yeah, idk man, Hali needs to toughen up; this wasn’t that deep.”
“Fake toughness, you give liteskin a bad name.”
“Ahhhh, of course. Hali started the whole thing. Rollins shoulda shoved his punk a– into the 3rd row.”
“The way he hit the three right after and said all that is actually insane court etiquette.”
“This is so corny.”
Several such reactions flooded the comments section under the viral post. Haliburton finished with 17 points, six assists, and three rebounds, shooting 7-for-14 from the field (50.0% FG) and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc (50.0% 3P) in 20 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Ryan Rollins had eight points, five assists, and one rebound on 4-for-9 shooting (44.4% FG) in 16 minutes played. Neither player said anything about the exchange after the game.
Tyrese Haliburton may have won the individual matchup, but the Bucks got the last laugh with a 128-127 overtime win. However, neither Rollins nor Haliburton played in overtime.
The Pacers will face the Bucks four times in the 2026-27 season. We anticipate a highly intense matchup each time.
Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA Analyst and Columnist at Fadeaway World, based in New Delhi, India. His passion for basketball began in 2018 after watching James Harden during his prime, eventually leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism in 2021. He began writing professionally while completing his law degree at Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, where he graduated in 2022 and developed a particular interest in Sports Law. Chaitanya ultimately chose journalism over a career in law after realizing that his passion for sports, and basketball in particular, was where he wanted to build his career. His work focuses on breaking down complex NBA storylines, analyzing player and team decisions, and presenting different sides of an argument to provide readers with a balanced perspective. While he strives to maintain an objective approach in his journalism, Chaitanya openly admits to being a passionate supporter of the Houston Rockets and Arsenal. That combination of analytical thinking and personal passion allows him to simplify complex ideas and present them in an accessible way for basketball fans. Beyond journalism, Chaitanya hopes to establish his own sports management agency and represent athletes. His long-term goal is to help create greater equality of opportunity for athletes across different sports and genders, using his legal background and experience in sports media to help bridge gaps within the industry.