Tyrese Haliburton's focus was on an unsurprising person during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
During the heated matchup that ended with the Indiana Pacers outscoring the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107, the NBA star zeroed in on his father, John Haliburton, and seemed specifically caught off guard by his dad's fashion choice at his game.
Following his 22 point game against the Thunder, Tyrese roasted his dad for his fashion choice when ESPN reporter Jorge Sedano asked the NBA star, "Pops in the house, what's the celebration going to be like for him?"
"I'm gonna say what up, and he gonna go home," Tyrese replied. "He outta pocket for them jeans, but other than that, it's good to see him here."
"He gon' go home, he outta pocket for them jeans."
— ESPN (@espn) June 12, 2025
—Tyrese Haliburton on his dad after Game 3 😂😭 pic.twitter.com/SSrfY1K4Fp
Tyrese's father, John, seemed incredibly proud of his son during the game on Wednesday night. He was photographed smiling proudly several times during the broadcast, wearing a Puma Pacers jersey with his son's number "0" on it over a long-sleeve shirt. He paired the look with patchwork-style jeans, which Tyrese jokingly referred to as "out of pocket."
Pacers fans come to Tyrese Haliburton's dad's defense
After his son roasted him, a slew of Pacers fans came to John's defense.
"These young kids don’t really be having swag like that, OG actually coordinated the whole fit perfectly imo," one person commented on a video of the interaction shared on ESPN's Instagram.
"JEANS LOWKEY FIRE THOOOO," another person wrote.
"Daddy’s outfit is perfectly coordinated with those jeans. Hali is out of pocket for that comment," someone else said.
"He better stop hating on pop's jeans," another person commented.
"Leave pops alone he is living his best life," someone else said.
Other fans suggested that the jeans are a lucky charm, and suggested that the NBA star's father wear them again.
"Those jeans help us win wear em again pop," one person commented.
"I'm rooting for the Pacers, he needs to wear those same Jeans in game 4," someone else wrote.
The Pacers will return to the court for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, June 13.