John Haliburton has always been the biggest fan of his son, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
His fandom sent him overboard at the end of a 2025 NBA playoff series, when he faced Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court and waved a towel baring his son's image. Tyrese Haliburton had just capped a last-minute comeback in overtime as the Pacers clinched the series.
John Haliburton faced a lot of criticism for that, including a brief absence from Pacers playoff games, and he apologized to Antetokounmpo. Also, Tyrese Haliburton apologized for his father's behavior.
In a new article by NBA blogger Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, the elder Haliburton said he wishes his son had handled that differently.
"When Tyrese stood up and told the media that I was wrong, I disagreed with him," John Haliburton said. "I told him: 'As long as I live, don’t ever tell anyone publicly that your dad is wrong. Never do that again. If you feel like I’m wrong, that is between me and you in private.' Just like if my son does something wrong, the world will never hear it from me. He will know it because I’ll talk to him directly, but the media and the public will never know."
His fandom sent him overboard at the end of a 2025 NBA playoff series, when he faced Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court and waved a towel baring his son's image. Tyrese Haliburton had just capped a last-minute comeback in overtime as the Pacers clinched the series.
John Haliburton faced a lot of criticism for that, including a brief absence from Pacers playoff games, and he apologized to Antetokounmpo. Also, Tyrese Haliburton apologized for his father's behavior.
In a new article by NBA blogger Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, the elder Haliburton said he wishes his son had handled that differently.
"When Tyrese stood up and told the media that I was wrong, I disagreed with him," John Haliburton said. "I told him: 'As long as I live, don’t ever tell anyone publicly that your dad is wrong. Never do that again. If you feel like I’m wrong, that is between me and you in private.' Just like if my son does something wrong, the world will never hear it from me. He will know it because I’ll talk to him directly, but the media and the public will never know."
3 days ago
