The Indiana Pacers are in the 2025 NBA Finals, and people on Twitter / X are calling their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, the "Haliban." Why? It's because he's "terrorizing" other teams.

The nickname started last round, when the Pacers beat the New York Knicks to take the Eastern Conference Finals. "Seal Team Knicks," as some have called them, could not take out the Haliban, but fans are saying that Oklahoma City's "ShaISIS" needs to stop him in the Finals.

Of course, all of these puns are Islamic terrorist organizations mashed with NBA player names. The "Haliban" is the one that stands out, though, as it's spreading fast on social media in memes and viral videos.

But where did the "Haliban" meme come from? Who coined it and why? Let's explain.

Where Did The 'Haliban' Meme Come From?

At the end of last month, the Indiana Pacers won a crucial Game 1 in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks. The loss was devastating for Knicks fans, given the storied rivalry between the two franchises.

Immediately after the loss, a Twitter user named @hoodg3nius tweeted, "The Haliban just bombed New York," echoing the magnitude of the tragedy.

Of course, the nickname combines the name of Pacers player Tyrese Haliburton and the infamous terrorist group, the Taliban.

Where Did The Tyrese Haliburton-Osama Bin Laden Photoshop Edit Come From?

The meme quickly evolved after the Game 1 loss. NBA Twitter was in a frenzy, trying to come up with the best Haliban jokes.

One X user named @285Slim shared a particularly viral post. It showed a Photoshop edit of Haliburton as deceased al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

Therefore, the caption had to be a 9/11 joke. It read, "A second 3 has hit the towers," riffing on the now-memetic phrase "They Hit The Second Tower."

What's The 'Haliban vs. ShaISIS' Meme?

The Pacers went on to beat the Knicks in the best-of-seven series. They were set to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals, led by their star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA).

Some NBA fans viewed both teams as an attack on the game of basketball. Concerns over Gilgeous-Alexander's "foul-baiting" fueled part of the hate. For Haliburton, he was voted the "most overrated player" by his peers in a poll conducted by the Atlantic just before the 2025 Playoffs.

So, when the two teams were set to be in the Finals, people who were already fond of the Haliban meme invented the "ShaISIS" as its counter.

The term was seemingly invented by a Twitter user named @wyaajessee, who showed Osama Bin Burton and a new photoshop of SGA as an ISIS leader.

What Are Some More 'Haliban' Memes?

As of writing, Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals is over, and it was a blockbuster finish. The Haliban scored a game-winning shot with less than a second on the clock, clinching the win in OKC.

The event gained edgy comparisons to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing and gave Knicks fans flashbacks to their Game 1 loss.

As Haliburton continues to prove his peers wrong, it seems like the "Haliban" is going to come after everyone, and the memes will follow in his path.

---

For the full history of the Haliban, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.