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The Indiana Pacers ended the Milwaukee Bucks’ season for a second straight year with a 4-1 series win in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. That win was extra sweet for guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton opened up on being spurned by another Milwaukee professional franchise after the 2024 postseason. He was blackballed by the Brewers.
The guard detailed the situation this week on the Pat McAfee Show. He says he was initially set to appear as a guest of the team where he’d throw out a first pitch in a game during the ’24 campaign. That plan was nixed by Milwaukee.
Tyrese Haliburton told Pat McAfee he was supposed to throw out the first pitch at a Milwaukee Brewers game last summer.
But then the Brewers nixed it after the Pacers knocked the Bucks out of the 2024 playoffs.
-Scott Agness / @ScottAgness on X
The salty Brewers cut Tyrese Haliburton from the honorary first pitch schedule. It’s something that’s stuck with him, though it might’ve saved him from a few boo-birds from the home crowd.
Fast forward to 2025 and history repeated itself. The Pacers again eliminated the Bucks from the NBA Playoffs. Haliburton played a big part.
The guard posted a pair of 20-point performances while averaging 11.6 assists per night. His best outing coming in a Game 5. He scored a team-high 26 points to capture a fourth win in the series, which sent the Bucks packing.
That final game ended with fireworks as Indiana closed the game on an 8-0 run in a 119-118 overtime victory. After the fact, Tyrese Haliburton’s dad got into a spat with Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokuompo.
Haliburton apologized after the fact, calling his dad’s actions unnecessary. He was simply caught up in the emotion of the game. His father issued an apology, too.
“I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Pacers organization for my actions,” he said. “This was not a good reflection on our sport, or my son, and I will not make that mistake again.”
With the series win, the Indiana Pacers advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. They’ll face off against the top-seeded Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.