Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, has been a vibrant and almost evergreen presence on the sidelines or in the crowd for his son’s games, especially in the Playoffs. Except for earlier in the Playoffs when he got banned from Pacers’ games due to his verbal exchange with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he enthusiastically supported his son in the crowd in almost every Playoff game possible this season.
The Pacers won the game 108-91, and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points and 5 assists. Before Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Haliburton’s father went viral once again for the rather eye-catching outfit he wore to the arena, a Pacers jersey alongside track pants that had the logo of every team except the Pacers. Seemingly signifying that the Pacers are on top of every other franchise in the league.
John Haliburton's outfit ahead of Game 6 of the NBA Finals 😅🔥 pic.twitter.com/aog4oMDk2P
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 20, 2025
However, most NBA fans were not impressed by his outfit and took to social media just to take shots at the Pacers star’s father. Some critical comments included:
“He hasn’t washed those pants in 50 years.”
“Ban him till he finds a stylist.”
“Those pants are awful.”
“Burn those pants.”
“The pants are hideous and don’t match at all.”
While Haliburton’s father may have gone viral on multiple occasions for his vibrant celebrations, verbal exchanges, and behavior outside of the arena, he doesn’t deserve to be criticized like this. Some other fans, seemingly mostly Pacers’ supporters, also took his side and praised his outfit.
“That’s next-level fashion.”
“Good looking, pop.”
“Great to see he’s having the time of his life watching his son play great basketball.”
“Pacers above all, is all I need.”
“Tyrese’s biggest supporter. The only person who is happy when you’re better than him is your father.”
Haliburton’s father has gone viral on several occasions, including his video of engaging with OKC fans and dancing in a bar after a Pacers win. Haliburton’s father is a basketball referee by profession and a former women’s basketball coach. Following the Pacers’ blowout win in Game 6, Haliburton even went into the crowd to hype up fans. Here’s John Haliburton hyping up the former Pacers’ veteran Lance Stephenson with his famous Tyrese Haliburton towel.
John Haliburton flashed the Hali towel in front of Lance Stephenson ðŸ˜
📺 #NBAFinals | 8:30 ET on ABC pic.twitter.com/loipzT5ev5
— ESPN (@espn) June 20, 2025
John Haliburton was often even showcased on the big screen to fire up the crowd with his Tyrese Haliburton towel during the game, which was met with a massive cheer from the crowd.
Following pleas from even NBA legends like Charles Barkley and his public apology, the Pacers finally allowed John Haliburton back into their games following his ban due to an exchange with Giannis Antetokounmpo, which left the Greek superstar very upset initially. However, he was still disallowed from watching away games.
While John Haliburton may not be in the arena for Game 7, he will certainly be cheering for his son and his team in either a bar or some gathering with his family and friends.
