Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Responds to 'Haliban' Nickname

"It's unfortunate, obviously, the Taliban is a terrible group of people," Haliburton said. "And it's unfortunate that social media has become the thing. Obviously, I can never publicly acknowledge it or respond. People will come into my Twitch chat and just spam that."

Haliburton noted that the nickname originated when he was making plays in New York against the Knicks, which makes the nickname even worse. Paul's co-host explained that he received the nickname because "He was a terrorist on the court."

As you can see in the clip, Haliburton tries his best to distance himself from the nickname. He would much prefer to have one that doesn't have so much controversy attached to it and is just focused on his play.

Tyrese Haliburton likely will hear the nickname less after the Pacers have ruled him out for the year

Haliburton will miss all of next season because of a torn Achilles, so he likely won't hear the nickname as much while he is on the bench. This is mainly a social media-driven thing, so with him not on the court, it won't be thrown out as frequently.

The Pacers will be more focused on winning games next season than on figuring out a more family-friendly nickname for their star point guard. Perhaps Haliburton can figure that out on his own.

This past season, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game. He shot 47.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.