Tyrese Haliburton's father John has been reinstated for future Indiana Pacers home games.
Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, has been freed. The elder Haliburton was barred from attending Indiana Pacers home games following an on-court altercation with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, but is now allowed back according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
However, he will no longer be sitting court side. Instead, he’ll be in a suite away from the hardwood. John Haliburton’s first opportunity to attend a game will be for Game 4 against the New York Knicks. His son’s Pacers currently lead the series 2-1 following a Game 3 loss at home.
John Haliburton has missed a total of eight games since he was disallowed from attending contests. While he’s now expected to attend home games for the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, he does not plan to attend any road games to see his son play.
What Happened?
When Tyrese Haliburton hit a game winner and the Pacers completed an incredible comeback in the final 40 seconds in Game 5 of their quarterfinal matchup to win the series over Milwaukee, the home crowd fans were understandably excited. Especially Haliburton’s father.
John Haliburton walked onto the court amidst the celebration and decided to taunt Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Antetokounmpo, Haliburton had approached him while waving a towel and swearing at him, leading to a “disrespectful” exchange of words before security got in between the two.
Following the incident, Antetokounmpo said he talked to John Haliburton following their confrontation and that the two are “in a good place.”
Still, the Pacers and Haliburton agreed it would be best if he took a break from attending games.
What the Haliburtons Said
The incident cast a cloud over what was otherwise an incredible come from behind win and series victory over. Lost amidst all the celebration on the court, Tyrese Haliburton said he had no idea his father and the two-time MVP winner had got into it with each other.
“I don’t agree with what transpired there from him,” Tyrese Haliburton told reporters after the incident. “I think basketball is basketball and let’s keep it on the court. I think that he just got excited, saw his son make a game-winner and came on the court. … I don’t think that my pops was in the right at all there and it’s unfortunate what happened at the end there.”
🚨 TYRESE HALIBURTON’S DAD IS ALLOWED BACK IN THE ARENA pic.twitter.com/osvOu32zim
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 26, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Haliburton’s father also issued a lengthy statement following the incident which he released through the Indy Star’s Dustin Dopirak.
“It was in the moment, it was in that dad proud moment, you know what I mean?” John Haliburton said. “And I just reacted because my son, he just did something very incredible, and I just jumped. … Am I sorry for being proud of my son? No. No. I’m not going to tell you that because I’d be lying. But I was wrong for going on the basketball court, because I shouldn’t have ever done that. Do I apologize for going on the court? Yes I do.”
Could the return of the elder Haliburton provide the spark the Pacers need to take a 3-1 series lead? Perhaps, and they might need it after blowing a 20-point lead to the Knicks in Game 3.