Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton made everyone feel like it's 1994 all over again when he paid homage to franchise legend Reggie Miller in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference finals series against the New York Knicks.
After sinking a two-point jumper just as the buzzer sounded at the end of the fourth quarter in Game 1 of that series, Haliburton, thinking that he made a 3-pointer, immediately celebrated with the choke sign to the crowd. It was a gesture popularized by Miller during a 1994 Pacers playoff game versus the Knicks.
Although he buried just a two-pointer with that shot to send the game into overtime, Haliburton still came out on top, as he and the Pacers eked out a 138-125 overtime to get the 1-0 series lead.
Haliburton's choke sign is also now immortalized by a tattoo on a fan's leg. The tattoo shows Haliburton in all his choking gesture glory with a text that reads “What the Haliburton.”
"What the Haliburton"
A fan got a tattoo of Tyrese Haliburton's choke celly 😅
(via kiraytattoos/ IG)pic.twitter.com/XZnJLRXqqc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2025
The fan's tattoo has attracted quite some attention from other fans on the internet.
One said that”those r the exact socks id expect someone who gets a Hali tattoo to wear.”
Others don't think it's just ideal for someone to have such art on one's body: “So weird getting another man tattooed on you.”
Article Continues Below“WHAT THE HALI?! Why would you want to have a tattoo of ‘Tyrese Haliburton'? 😭,” echoed a fan.
Another social media user on X (formerly Twitter) wonders about a particular scenario: “It’s gonna suck when OKC sweeps them.”
From another commenter: “Pretty cool piece, going to be a historic moment, Indy def needs to bring home the chip to cement this!”
“That Haliburton choke celebration tattoo is totally insane,” a different commenter shared.
The fan's Haliburton ink will either be vindicated by a Pacers' championship win in the upcoming series versus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder or will be mocked by others should Indiana end up falling short of completing its mission in the playoffs.
Still, what Haliburton did in that wild moment in Game 1 will forever be remembered by Pacers fans — with or without the help of ink.