Thank goodness Pops Haliburton got to see this one.
John Haliburton, Tyrese Haliburton's father, was in the house for Game 1 of the Indiana Pacers' NBA Finals series vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, and although there were no viral confrontations with members of the opposing team, the point guard's father did make sure to show up right after the contest for a sweet moment with his son.
The pair got to link up as Hali made his way to the locker room—after sinking the game-winning bucket, of course—and his Pops looked so unbelievably excited to see him.
Take a look at that moment below:
Tyrese Haliburton celebrating with his dad after winning his first NBA Finals game 😂 pic.twitter.com/MIj8cFyWWu
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 6, 2025
We'd expect nothing less from Hali's dad, who made waves after engaging in a testy on-court confrontation with Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier in the playoffs. He apologized for his actions after the fact, but was nonetheless hit with a brief eight-game ban in response.
We're glad he got to be there tonight to watch his son yet again bring home the win (which the eldest Haliburton correctly predicted, by the way—take a look below):
Tyrese daddy called it! pic.twitter.com/yXuMh3jcaj
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 6, 2025
More On Pacers Game 1 Win
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Shares Sweet Moment With Dad After Stealing Game 1 From Thunder.
