Tyrese Haliburton Says His Brother Was Called N-Word by a Fan During Pacers vs. Bucks

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said his brother was called a racial slur by a fan in Milwaukee during Game 1 of his first-round series with the Bucks.

"My little brother in the stands the other day was called the N-word," Haliburton told reporters Tuesday. "It was important for us as a family to just address that. And that was important for us to talk about because that just didn't sit right with anybody in our family. It's just been important to have my family here right now. My little brother has handled that the right way."

Haliburton is from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which is a little less than 90 miles from Milwaukee. He said his family has been in Milwaukee for the start of the playoffs, Haliburton's first as an NBA player.

The Bucks released a statement Tuesday saying the person accused of uttering a "derogatory term" denied the allegation.

"An arena guest services representative reported that during Sunday's game a few guests were not sitting in their correct seats," the Bucks said. "The guest services representative asked the group to move one section over to their correct seats. Then, one of the individuals in the group claimed to the representative that a person sitting in front of him had used a derogatory term toward him. The accused person denied the accusation. The group moved to their correct seats and no further incident was reported.

"We take our fan environment extremely seriously and are committed to providing a safe and secure experience."

It's typical for teams to investigate these types of allegations, but no investigation was mentioned in the statement.

The NBA and its teams have regularly banned fans for life when investigations have found acts of racism taking place in the stands.

Haliburton said fan interactions are typically "friendly" during the regular season in Milwaukee because of his Wisconsin ties, but the mood has shifted during the playoffs.

The Bucks and Pacers are tied at 1-1 in the best-of-seven series.