After enduring harassment in New York City for wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey, an Indiana Pacers fan has received an incredible gesture from the star player himself—an invitation to attend Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis.
The viral story began when Hans Perez, a New York firefighter and devoted Pacers fan, was confronted by a large crowd of Knicks fans on the streets of NYC (after Friday night’s Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals) and proceeded to follow and heckle him. Perez was struck twice with bags of trash at on point, but kept moving as the taunts continued, as shown in footage widely shared on social media.
Perez appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Monday afternoon, where he showed off a Pacers tattoo on his wrist and shared his story. During the segment, Haliburton surprised Perez via video call with the news of the invitation: “Our whole organization wants to make sure you’re treated right. The entire team is excited to meet you. You’ve been the talk of the locker room.” Haliburton and McAfee extended an invite to Perez and a guest for next Tuesday’s Game 4 in Indiana.
Perez replied: “I think I can figure out how to get the day off,” and ended the segment by thanking Haliburton and leading an enthusiastic “Let’s Go Pacers!” chant.
The Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Knicks will kick off with Game 1 on Wednesday night in New York at Madison Square Garden.
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