Truth behind Dodgers fan Tyrese Haliburton betraying his hometown Brewers in the NLCS

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Tyrese Haliburton grew up a big Milwaukee Brewers fan growing up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which is only about 83 miles from American Family Field, still more commonly called Miller Park.
So then why is the Indiana Pacers superstar betraying his hometown MLB team by committing blasphemy by at first wearing the hated NL Central rival Chicago Cubs jersey, and then following it up by rocking a Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani jersey for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series?
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It turns out that while the 25-year-old NBA playoffs Mr. Clutch loves to troll enemy fanbases like the New York Knicks, in this case, it was the Milwaukee Brewers that were the petty ones thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Tyrese Haliburton is wearing a Cubs jersey & a Dodges jersey to continue showing hate towards the Milwaukee Brewers 😅
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) October 14, 2025
He grew up a Brewers fan in Wisconsin & was supposed to throw the first pitch at Miller Park in 2024. But they canceled after he eliminated the Bucks in the… pic.twitter.com/Wf6hSwP11m
Rescinded ceremonial first-pitch offer to Haliburton

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The two-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selection started his magical playoffs run, almost doing the impossible by winning it all for the Pacers, getting all the way to a Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder before his devastating Achilles injury, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
That was the second year in a row Haliburton had eliminated the Bucks and two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from the playoffs, and the former Iowa State standout said the Brewers took back their ceremonial first pitch offer after it happened the first time.

"Baseball, I’m a free agent," Haliburton said. "I was a Brewers fan and then I was supposed to throw the first pitch last summer and then they X’d that after the playoffs ended. So I said, you know what, I’m no longer a Brewers fan."
Haliburton's dad kept the drama going

Sitting courtside in last year's playoffs, Haliburton's father, John, got into Giannis' face after the 2024 NBA assists leader hit the game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds to eliminate the Bucks last season and start his unreal run of late-game heroics.
Here’s another angle of Haliburton’s dad and Giannis. This is insane behavior by an old ass man.
— sqr (@squaresense) April 30, 2025
Watch the guy in the black jersey initially sitting down in a chair with the towel on the baseline pic.twitter.com/4ldMy1Oxke
Giannis called it "disrespectful" after the game, so now the hatred runs even deeper between Milwaukee fans and the Haliburtons. Tyrese's dad was banned from his son's games for nearly a month during the NBA playoffs, finally allowed back, but he couldn't sit courtside until the finals.
Who will have the last laugh this season as Troll King?

Haliburton's Cubs troll backfired, with the Brewers doing some trolling of their own after winning the do-or-die Game 5 in the National League Division Series by flying the "L" flag, mocking Chicago's tradition of flying the "W" after a victory.
The Brewers flew the “L” after beating the Cubs in the NLDS pic.twitter.com/TkquNG7myH
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 12, 2025
As of this posting, the fight for Troll King supremacy has Haliburton up 1-0 in the NLCS heading into Game 2.
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Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.