According to Pacers star Tyrese Halliburton, his little brother was subjected to a racist comment while attending Game 1 of Indiana’s playoff series against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
However, the news only came out on Tuesday after Game 2 of the first-round clash had ended. Haliburton addressed the incident after the Pacers’ 125-108 victory that evening.
“My little brother in the stands the other day was called the N-word,” Haliburton disclosed. “It was important for us as a family to address that. That was important for us to talk about because that just didn’t sit right with anybody in our family. It’s just been important to have my family here right now. My little brother has handled that the right way.”
Here’s Tyrese Haliburton’s full quote on his little brother being called a racial slur during game one. He was asked if there were any good/bad distractions about playing in his home state and you can see him debating in the moment about whether or not to tell this story. pic.twitter.com/tME4fAo9t3
— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) April 24, 2024
For Tyrese, this situation hits close to home as he was born about 90 minutes from Milwaukee in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He is the second youngest of 4 siblings, with two older brothers and one younger.
The Indiana player shared that his immediate family had joined him at the start of the postseason, as this game marked his playoff debut in his home state. After the game, he reflected on his experience returning to Wisconsin before shedding light on his brother’s ordeal.
That night, the 24-year-old put up 12 points, 12 assists, and 4 rebounds in 37 minutes of play. He also contributed a block and steal to his stat line, awaiting Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday.
The Bucks also addressed the racial slur incident at Fiserv Forum during Game 1 to foster a safer environment.
The Milwaukee organization addressed the issue to ensure fan safety, confirming the incident despite the accused denying it. “An arena guest services representative reported that during Sunday’s game a few guests were not sitting in their correct seats,” a Bucks representative stated.
“The guest services representative asked the group to move one section over to their correct seats. Then, one of the individuals in the group claimed to the representative that a person sitting in front of him had used a derogatory term toward him. The accused person denied the accusation.”
In the end, the situation was resolved, with the group moving to their correct seats without any further incidents. The home team emphasized their commitment to providing a safe fan environment.
Haliburton praised his team for handling the environment well, noting the difference in fan interactions when playing as a hometown hero versus as a visitor.
