Have a look at the meaning of The Haliban used to refered to Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers is known by the nickname “The Haliban,” which is a combination of his last name and the Taliban, a militant Islamic terrorist organization due to the terror he’s caused amongst the opposition this season.
Tyrese Haliburton’s nickname ‘The Haliban’ meaning explained as meme trend goes viral on Twitter/X
Haliburton’s performance during the Pacers’ games against the New York Knicks, which Indiana won 4-2, inspired a meme that saw some referring to him as The Haliban and a portmanteau of his name and the Islamic fundamentalist group the Taliban, which has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States and several of its allies, the meme has taken off among NBA fans.
In late May and early June of 2025, during the Eastern Conference Finals, the Haliban meme grew widespread.
“Sir the Haliban just hit OKC” pic.twitter.com/grZ4Kwg9qr
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) June 6, 2025
Since Game 1 of the legendary Knicks-Pacers rivalry seemed like a bomb to New York City, the supporters of the New York Knicks compared Haliburton to the Taliban in a hilarious way. Among the other posts that largely appeared on Twitter and X, a Photoshop alteration of Haliburton as Osama Bin Laden stuck out.
After defeating the Knicks, the Pacers advanced to the 2025 NBA Finals and faced the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder. The match was jokingly dubbed Haliban vs. ShaISIS, a mashup of the terrorist organization ISIS and OKC Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As the photo circulated online, people began making jokes about the Haliban carrying off the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing after the Pacers won Game 1.
The Haliban just went up 1-0 on Al Shaida pic.twitter.com/faeV5Bb8mS
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) June 6, 2025
The first known post referring to Tyrese Haliburton as “the Haliban” was made on January 6, 2023, by X user @NotJeffFoster10, who stated, “Haliburton is the Haliban.” All defences consider him a terrorist. There were no likes on the tweet. Other non-viral applications of the name emerged on X as 2024 and 2025 approached.
On May 21, 2025, the day the New York Knicks lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers, X user @hoodg3nius published the term for the first time, making it viral.
INSALLAH THE PACERS WILL WIN pic.twitter.com/EnLyCf7THL
— Tyrese McVeigh (@Eejuuh) June 6, 2025
X user @285Slim shared a Photoshop image of Tyrese Haliburton portraying Osama Bin Laden on May 22, 2025, along with a 9/11-related text that said, “A second 3 has hit the buildings.”
Tyrese Haliburton: "I see a fair share of the absurd things that are on social media. Get a good laugh out of certain things"
byu/MrBuckBuck innba
Reactions of netizens
X user @wyaajessee tweeted, “Haliban vs. ShaISIS NBA Finals. Who you got and how many games?” after the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks.
“THE HALIBAN JUST BOMBED OKLAHOMA,” was tweeted by X user @hoodg3nius after Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers made a game-winning basket in the closing seconds of Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals.