Indiana Pacers Lift Ban on John Haliburton, Father of Tyrese Haliburton, to Attend Game 4
The Indiana Pacers have lifted the ban on John Haliburton, the father of Tyrese Haliburton, allowing him to attend Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the New York Knicks. The decision was announced by ESPN's Shams Charania, who reported that Haliburton will be allowed to attend in a suite rather than seated near courtside.
The incident that led to Haliburton's ban from the Pacers' past eight playoff games occurred during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. After Indiana eliminated the Bucks on Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot, Haliburton was seen taunting Giannis Antetokounmpo with a towel before the two shook hands and got into a forehead-to-forehead confrontation. Antetokounmpo confirmed the incident after the game, and Tyrese Haliburton later spoke to his father about the incident, saying, "I don't think my pops was in the right."
Despite John Haliburton apologizing the next morning, the Pacers announced that he would not be allowed to attend their games "for the foreseeable future." The decision was unclear as to whether it came from the team or the NBA, but it was the Pacers who spoke to Haliburton and told reporters about the decision.
However, after Game 1 of the Pacers-Knicks series, TNT's Charles Barkley called on NBA commissioner Adam Silver to allow Haliburton to resume attending games and be permitted to cheer for his son in person. "Hey, my man paid his dues," Barkley said on air. "He did something really, really stupid. But he’s been punished. I’m asking you and the Indiana Pacers to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building for Games 3 and 4. Listen, he paid his dues. It shouldn’t be indefinite."
Charania's report distinguishes that Haliburton will be allowed to attend Pacers home playoff games in a suite. There was no mention as to whether he would be permitted in the arena for road games, but that might not be a good idea at Madison Square Garden anyway. At least one Pacers fan hasn't been treated well by Knicks fans, though that took place outside the arena.
Game 4 of the Pacers-Knicks playoff series is scheduled for Tuesday in Indianapolis at 8 p.m. ET. Indiana holds a 2-1 series lead following New York's comeback 106-100 Game 3 win on Sunday. With this development, fans can expect an exciting and emotional game as John Haliburton cheers on his son from the suite.
