Tyrese Haliburton addresses father's ban from Pacers playoff games

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton on Friday addressed the controversy surrounding his father for one “final time.”

The Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks after a 119-118 overtime win in Game 5 of their first-round series. It was the third year in a row the Bucks were ousted in the first round, and the second straight time it came at the hands of the Pacers.

After the game, Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, was seen exchanging words with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The confrontation led to Antetokounmpo calling out the elder Haliburton over the latter’s “unacceptable” behavior. The Pacers and the NBA later decided to ban John Haliburton from attending Pacers playoff games for the rest of the 2025 postseason.

On Friday, Tyrese was asked to speak on his father’s punishment. The two-time All-Star stood by his father but had no plans of contesting his team’s verdict.

“This is the last time I’ll address this at all,” said the Pacers guard. “But I understand the decision made by our organization and the league. I’ve spoken on it many times, that my father was in the wrong. But at the end of the day, that’s my dad. I’m not going to ridicule him by any means. Still have a lot of love for him. I love him dearly. He’s going to sit at home and watch the game. He’ll be just fine.”

Tyrese Haliburton played a starring role in the Pacers’ elimination of the Bucks in Game 5. He scored a team-high 26 points, including the go-ahead layup with 1.1 seconds left that pushed Indiana to the second round.