In the high-stakes world of sports rivalries, few stories capture the sweet sting of pettiness quite like Tyrese Haliburton’s ongoing feud with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Indiana Pacers star, once a die-hard fan of the team from his Wisconsin roots, has turned his heartbreak into a full-blown campaign of sartorial sabotage. Over the past week, Haliburton has donned jerseys of the Brewers’ fiercest National League Central and playoff foes—the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers—timing his outfits perfectly to coincide with Milwaukee’s on-field battles. It’s a masterclass in grudge-holding, and Brewers fans are feeling every jab.
Haliburton’s love for the Brewers runs deep, forged in the Badger State where he grew up idolizing the team at what was then known as Miller Park (now American Family Field). As a rising NBA talent, he was thrilled when the Brewers extended an invitation for him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch during the 2024 season. It was a homecoming moment, a chance to bridge his basketball stardom with his baseball boyhood. But everything changed in the spring of that year.
The Pacers, led by Haliburton, stunned the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, eliminating the defending champions in six games and igniting a fresh wave of interstate animosity. What happened next? The Brewers abruptly canceled Haliburton’s first-pitch appearance, leaving him sidelined and seething. “They straight up canceled on me after we beat the Bucks,” Haliburton later revealed in interviews, his tone a mix of disbelief and betrayal. The snub hit hard, transforming a lifelong fan into Milwaukee’s most vocal detractor.
Since then, Haliburton hasn’t been shy about his disdain. He’s publicly declared himself “done” with the Brewers, vowing to root for anyone who can hand them an L. And with the 2025 MLB playoffs in full swing, he’s put his wardrobe where his mouth is. On October 11, during the Pacers’ preseason matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Haliburton showed up courtside in a Chicago Cubs jersey. That same night, the Cubs were facing off against the Brewers in a crucial NLDS game, and Haliburton’s ensemble screamed “payback.” It was high-level trolling, as one observer put it, a visual middle finger to his former favorites.
Now he is rooting for the Dodgers to beat them.
