Tyrese Haliburton's dad banned indefinitely from Indiana Pacers NBA Playoff games

The heated series between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks may have ended, but the fallout continues. What should have been a moment of pure celebration for Tyrese Haliburton and his team has been marred by the controversy surrounding his father John's confrontation with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Charles Barkley ripped into Haliburton's 'idiot' dad after, and he was far from the only major NBA media figure to do so. Stephen A. Smith joined in, too, while Tyrese himself admitted that his father was in the wrong.

It would seem that the Pacers organization agrees, with Shams Charania revealing that John Haliburton will no longer be in attendance for upcoming NBA games.

This was a decision made by the Pacers front office and John Haliburton was understanding and accepted the choice after confronting Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court postgame Tuesday night. https://t.co/8FnFQSOIAZ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 1, 2025

"After conversations with Tyrese Haliburton’s father John Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers front office, John Haliburton will not attend the team’s home and road games for the foreseeable future, a Pacers spokesperson told ESPN," Charania said.

The report goes on to state that the senior Haliburton was understanding of the decision. With the Pacers looking to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals, further drama on this front would only serve as a distraction.

Indiana will begin their 2nd round playoff series against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Sunday, May 4th. The Cavs have been one of the league's best teams and easily disposed of the Miami Heat in the first round. The Pacers' young superstar and the rest of the team will have to be locked in if they want to have any hope of winning.

Home/NBA