“Me and my pops have talked about that, but again, I don’t agree with what transpired there from him……. Let’s keep it on the court,” said Tyrese Haliburton, as a way to apologize for the on-court scuffle between his father and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The moment of celebration, as the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks, turned sour back in late April after John Haliburton, who carries a reputation of being a competitive person, taunted Antetokounmpo on the latter’s loss. This led to an incident for which Haliburton Sr. carried significant blame, and which led the Pacers front office to ask him to not attend the team’s home and road games for the foreseeable future. However, an Indiana legend now believes the player’s father has been punished for long enough.
Former basketball player and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member Dan Dakich was the guest on the recent episode of The Dan Patrick Show. As the conversation progressed, the host asked his guest whether Tyrese Haliburton’s dad has been allowed back to watch the games. Dakich denied it, but said that, if it was up to him, John Haliburton would be enjoying the Pacers games within the confines of the arena. The sportscaster and podcast host admitted that what Haliburton Sr. did was “stupid”. In fact, he went so far as to claim that he “acted like a dumba–”, and “took advantage of, you know, the Pacers’ kindness”.
Despite this, if not for himself, then Dan Dakich wants Haliburton Sr. back, at least for his son’s sake. “Enough. All right. Let’s go. Let’s let him back in the building…. Haliburton, you ever talked to him? I’m sure you have. He is a great dude. Like, all right, His dad did what he did. Maybe his dad’s a pain in the a–, fine. But Haliburton’s a great dude,” said Dakich. “Let the dad in to watch the game. What the heck? What…. why not?”
It is no secret that the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks is an intense one. Give it time, and it might even reach the pinnacle of the ’80s Lakers vs Celtics. Or the ’90s Pistons vs Bulls. Along with the Knicks’ Game 7 loss from last year’s playoffs, another thing that has fueled this rivalry is the duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson.
Back in June of last year, the duo showed up on opposite sides of the WWE arena. Haliburton came to support Logan Paul while Brunson accompanied LA Knight to the ring during a WWE SmackDown event at Madison Square Garden.
May 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
With the Knicks and Pacers set to compete, WWE has taken advantage of last year’s moment to capitalize on it. Triple H quote-tweeted ESPN’s announcement of Pacers-Knicks as the Eastern Conference Finals pairing. He posted a picture of himself with Haliburton, and one of him with Brunson, with the caption “It’s almost like we wrote it…”.
Therefore, with a sort of a revenge storyline set to take place, Haliburton would certainly want his father to support him, and maybe even throw some taunts towards Jalen Brunson. However, despite John Haliburton’s promises, who knows what will happen? After all, a renowned American rapper has seen firsthand just how competitive John Haliburton can get.
Tyrese Haliburton’s father’s dislike over playing minutes once frustrated Sada Baby: “You bugging up”
Back in December 2023, American rapper Sada Baby hosted an episode of the Club 520 podcast. During the conversation, the 32-year-old recalled what occurred when attending an Indiana Pacers-Milwaukee Bucks matchup. Sada Baby was seated right next to Tyrese Haliburton’s parents. According to the rapper, Tyrese was reportedly getting fewer minutes than Damian Lillard on the court. This did not play well with the parents.
The weirder fact was that nothing could have been done by complaining. Both players were from the opposite teams! It was up to Lillard’s coach to handle his minutes! Despite this, John Haliburton was making his frustration known, which did not play well with the rapper (yes, pun intended).
“You getting irritated that Dame was getting more minutes than him [Tyrese Haliburton] right now, you bugging up. And, n—-, this all woman right here so if you tweak out too bad, you feel me, and you think you ’bout to get off, I’mma roll you” said Sada Baby. “And I don’t wanna do that ’cause I like Haliburton. I ain’t met Tyrese, yet, you know what I’m saying. I ain’t trying to, I ain’t threatening your daddy, but I’m threatening your daddy.”
John Haliburton already explained his scuffle with Giannis Antetokounmpo. In an interview with NBC’s TMJ 4, he revealed telling ‘The Greek Freak’ that “‘I wasn’t trying to disrespect you’, which I wasn’t. I’m telling you, I did not do that on purpose. I really did not.” Despite this, several people were not satisfied.
Former Super Bowl Champion Ryan Clark even said, “And I believe he should never be allowed to be at another basketball game. He shouldn’t be allowed. He shouldn’t get to come to the building. Punish him. If you’re going to run on the court, if you’re going to be big and bad, if you’re going to put yourself above the game, don’t come to the game ever. You have to make a stand so no one else does this.”
With John Haliburton dividing opinions up, the Pacers front office really is stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the end, it remains to be seen whether they will finally allow John Haliburton to attend or not.
The post Indiana Personality Wants U-Turn on Tyrese Haliburton’s Father Controversy Amid Growing Knicks vs Pacers Rivalry appeared first on EssentiallySports.
