Tyrese Haliburton has shown his class off the court yet again, inviting a Pacers fan to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals after he was heckled and attacked in New York.
Following a game 6 win against Boston last week, the streets of New York ran wild with Knicks fans celebrating a first Conference Finals in 25 years.
One bold Pacers fan was spotted outside Madison Square Garden wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey shortly after the win and it wasn’t long before he was mobbed by opposition fans.
Knicks supporters launched missiles at the fan, who was walking the streets by himself, as well as dumping trash on him in what was a bad look for the overexcited fanbase.
Knicks fans jumped a Haliburton fan. 😳 pic.twitter.com/PzjmzNnxRq
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) May 17, 2025
The man, who was later revealed to be New York firefighter Hanz Perez, put up a bold effort in holding off the fans without using any violence and he has been rewarded after enduring a tough time.
Tyrese Haliburton surprises loyal fan
Perez appeared on the Pat McAfee show on Monday night to tell his story and he was met with a huge shock, as Haliburton joined the show to thank Perez for his undivided support.
WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU HANS
JOINING US NOW @TyHaliburton22 #PMSLive https://t.co/T0NoUT3yAx pic.twitter.com/aGhMvLvDRF
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 19, 2025
Haliburton showed his class while he spoke to Perez, inviting the lifelong fan to Indiana for game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals where the Pacers will face… the Knicks.
“Everybody in our organization wants to make sure you’re taken care of,” Haliburton said on the call. “All the team’s excited to meet you. It’s all we’ve been talking about.”
Perez is set to have the experience of a lifetime for game 4 of the Conference Finals and it seems that he will also get a chance to meet the players.
The Eastern Conference Finals get underway on Wednesday night, with the first two games in New York before the series heads to Indianapolis. Bookmakers currently have the Knicks as marginal favourites to advance to the NBA Finals however the Pacers have been exceptional in the postseason so far this year and could cause another upset.
