Tyrese Haliburton Labels Knicks Fans Passionate Despite Their Hatred Towards Him

Tyrese Haliburton stirred up Knicks fans after saying the Oklahoma City Thunder crowd is louder than Madison Square Garden.

Tyrese Haliburton Labels Knicks Fans Passionate Despite Their Hatred Towards Him

Tyrese Haliburton was booed on WWE Summer Slam at New Jersey (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Tyrese Haliburton described Knicks fans as passionate but criticized their crowd atmosphere compared to Oklahoma City.
  • Knicks fans have a history of booing Haliburton, viewing him as a villain after his playoff success against them.
  • Haliburton's comments have sparked backlash on social media, with fans expressing their displeasure and hoping for a future playoff matchup.

It has been a long time since Tyrese Haliburton was last seen on an NBA court. After helping the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks in six games in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, Haliburton has been seen as a “villain” by Knicks fans.

The Pacers guard got on the wrong side once again as he made headlines again after comparing the atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden to the Oklahoma City Thunder crowd.

A place like New York they have a lot of passionate fans of course and people love the Knicks, but there’s a lot of celebrities in there and there are sometimes they’re like too cool to get super loud vs OKC’s.

Tyrese Haliburton on The Pat McAfee Show

The New York Knicks fans and Tyrese Haliburton have history. They never miss a chance to boo the two-time All-Star. His latest statements will not go down well with the Knicks fans.

The Knicks fans are known for being a passionate fanbase. They have even taken over the arenas of opposition teams during the playoffs. Along with Trae Young, they have another villain in their eyes in Haliburton.

The Knicks are in red-hot form at the moment. They are currently on an 11-match winning streak in the playoffs after recording clean sweeps over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last two rounds.

During their run, they have shown that they are legit contenders to win the NBA championship this year. They await the winner of the Thunder-San Antonio Spurs series. The defending champions currently lead 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals.

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Fans react to Tyrese Haliburton rating the Thunder crowd over the Knicks

After missing the entire 2025-26 campaign, Tyrese Haliburton is back to playing five-on-five basketball. However, the 26-year-old has been making several appearances on podcasts in recent weeks.

His recent statements are definitely going to irk Knicks fans, and they made their feelings known across social media.

Knicks fans were not pleased with Haliburton’s comments. Many hope to see the Knicks play the Pacers in the playoffs next year.

Oklahoma City has the best road environment, according to Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton has played in some hostile environments during the Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals last year. He played at MSG in the Eastern Conference Finals and then at Paycom Center in the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton (Image via WRTV/X)

When asked what the OKC environment is like during the playoffs, Haliburton said:

Oklahoma City was the best road environment that we played in last season. It is so loud in there that you can’t hear yourself think. It’s unbelievably loud in that building.

Tyrese Haliburton on The Pat McAfee Show

The Thunder ended up winning the NBA Finals in Game 7 at home. Haliburton tore his ACL in the final game of the series. The defending champions are now one win away from playing the Knicks in the NBA Finals.

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