The 2025 NBA playoffs were something out of a fairy tale for the Indiana Pacers. The team was on the same page throughout their entire run, which made them a tough team to defeat. Their collective effort earned them a ticket to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder proved too much, even for a team that was on fire in the postseason, and lost in seven games.
One of the reasons why the Pacers had an outstanding run was due to their All-Star guard, Tyrese Haliburton. Although he didn’t post outlandish scoring numbers, it was his clutch performances in certain games that gave life to the entire team.
Haliburton even earned a nickname on the internet due to his surprise clutch shots. On X, the Pacers star was known as “Haliban,” based on the Afghan group.
Haliburton appeared as a guest in the recent episode of “IMPAULSIVE,” where he was asked about the nickname. The two-time All-Star addressed the nickname he earned from the NBA fans online.
“It’s unfortunate that it is — like, the Taliban is a terrible group of people and it’s unfortunate that on social media has become the thing,” Haliburton said. “Obviously, I can never publicly acknowledge it or respond.
Tyrese Haliburton reacts to “Haliban” nickname 😭💣 pic.twitter.com/hpCyXtMM7c
— IMPAULSIVE (@impaulsive) August 26, 2025
Haliburton revealed that his followers on Twitch would constantly call him by his nickname, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Logan Paul, the host of the show, confirmed with the two-time All-NBA about how he got his nickname. He asked if it’s only because of the clutch shots he made.
The Indiana Pacers star agreed, but added that it started when he hit the game-tying shot against the New York Knicks in Game 1.
“Yeah, but we were in New York… unfortunate.”
Paul asked the Indiana Pacers star about faking his Achilles tendon injury
In Game 7 of the Finals, the Indiana Pacers’ star suffered an unfortunate Achilles tendon tear. He didn’t even finish the first quarter against the Thunder and had to be escorted to the locker room.
During his guest appearance at Paul’s show, the content creator turner WWE superstar asked Haliburton about his injury. He asked if there was a chance he could’ve been faking his injury. He mentioned Seth Rollins, who pretended to suffer a knee injury.
However, he showed the crowd at SummerSlam 2025 that he was fine when he dropped the crutches.
Haliburton wished that he could’ve just had a fake injury. However, he experienced the real thing.
“I f**king wish bro,” he laughed.
Is Tyrese Haliburton FAKING his injury like Seth Rollins?? 🩼 pic.twitter.com/PWVm3f4oEZ
— IMPAULSIVE (@impaulsive) August 26, 2025
“I wish I could’ve got carried off, walked out there, crying and threw them off, ‘I’m playing, I’m straight.’ I told Seth [Rollins] that too.”
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
