It’s been three weeks since the NBA banned John Haliburton, the father of Indiana Pacers star guar Tyrese Haliburton, from attending games following his on-court confrontation with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In the time since, the younger Haliburton led his team to a five-game series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and played a key role in the Pacers’ thrilling comeback against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. And with the series set to shift to Indianapolis following Game 2 on Friday night, Charles Barkley is calling on NBA commissioner Adam Silver to bring an end to John’s punishment.
“It’s time to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building,” Barkley said on Thursday’s episode of Inside the NBA, moments after the Pacers’ Game 1 victory, which saw Tyrese hit a game-tying buzzer-beater to force overtime. “Adam, I’m asking you. Hey, my man paid his dues. He did something really, really stupid, but he’s been punished. And I’m asking you and the Indiana Pacers to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building for Games 3 and 4.
“I mean, listen, he paid his dues. It shouldn’t be indefinite. He’s been punished enough. He would never do anything that stupid again. So Adam, you know how much I love you. And my man [Pacers president of basketball operations] Kevin Pritchard, y’all let Mr. Haliburton back in the building for Game 3.”
After host Ernie Johnson clarified that Barkley was only talking about the games that will be played in Indianapolis, the Hall of Fame power forward agreed that letting John Haliburton attend games at Madison Square Garden probably isn’t a good idea.
“He come up to New York doing that crazy stuff, he won’t make it back to Indy,” Barkley said.
“He come in New York, he still may not make it back even if he’s acting right,” Draymond Green added.
That “crazy stuff” came in the form of an on-court altercation with Antetokounmpo in the moments following the Pacers’ series-clinching victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. In his postgame press conference, Tyrese Haliburton said he was unaware that his father and the 2-time MVP had gone face to face and needed to be separated and was quick to denounce his dad’s actions.
The immediate aftermath of the incident saw multiple high profile NBA media members call on the league to take action against John Haliburton. But while the league obliged, most now seem to agree that John Haliburton has served his time, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that his son has emerged as one of this postseason’s signature stars.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.