Following the events of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, Tyrese Haliburton will probably forever be known by NBA fans as "The Haliban."
In an interview with Caleb Pressley for Sundae Conversation, Haliburton was asked if he had any nicknames. "Nothing that's really stuck yet," the Indiana Pacers star responded.
"Nothing?" Pressley asked, causing Haliburton to burst into laughter.
During his appearance on the podcast Impaulsive earlier this year, Haliburton told Logan Paul and co-host Mike Majlak that he has never acknowledged the existence of the controversial nickname prior to the interview. "I do not condone that. At all," he said. "I can tell people don't call me that, but that doesn't stop. This is probably the only time I've ever acknowledged it, and the only time I'll ever acknowledge it."
Pressley was determined to get Haliburton to acknowledge the nickname, asking, "The Haliban. That's not your nickname?"
"They have called me that before," Haliburton conceded.
Pressley then had Haliburton walking on eggshells as he answered questions about the origins of The Haliban, which draws allusions to the terrorist group behind the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City.
Similar to the Impaulsive interview, the two-time NBA All-Star felt the need to dismiss any association with the Taliban. "I don't think anybody thinks that I was a pilot of a plane that caused the most tragic incident in American history," Haliburton said. "I don't think anybody thinks I'm part of that."
"Obviously, the Taliban is a terrible group of people, and it's unfortunate that, on social media, it has become a thing," The Haliban said on Impaulsive. "Obviously, I can never publicly acknowledge it, or like, respond. But people come in my Twitch chat, and just spam that."
"They call you the Haliban because you're a terrorist on the court?" Paul asked.
"Yes, but we were in New York, unfortunately," Haliburton added, referencing the Pacers defeating the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Despite previous unsuccessful efforts to anoint Haliburton with a different nickname, it seems like The Haliban has already cemented its place in NBA history.