He knew exactly what he was doing. When Tyrese Haliburton drained that deep three against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023 In-Season Tournament, the adrenaline wasn't just pumping; it was overflowing. He looked at the crowd, hands cupped low, and unleashed the infamous "big balls" dance.
It's a gesture that has cost NBA players hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines over the decades. It’s provocative. It’s legendary. And for a young star like Haliburton, it was a loud, defiant announcement that the Indiana Pacers weren't just happy to be there—they were there to take over.
Where the Tyrese Haliburton Big Balls Celebration Actually Came From
Basketball fans with long memories know this wasn't an original Haliburton creation. Far from it. This is the "Sam Cassell" dance. Cassell made it a staple of the late 90s and early 2000s, most famously using it during his 2004 playoff run with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The physics of the move are simple, yet the NBA front office hates it. You walk down the court, knees slightly bent, arms hanging low, gesturing as if you’re carrying a heavy, invisible load between your legs. It’s the ultimate "I have the guts to take the shot you’re too afraid of" move.
When Haliburton brought it back, it felt different. It wasn't just a veteran being cocky. It was the face of a franchise signaling a shift in power. He did it after hitting a dagger that basically buried Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in Las Vegas.
Honestly, the context matters more than the gesture itself. The Pacers were underdogs. Nobody expected them to make a deep run in the inaugural In-Season Tournament. Haliburton was playing at an All-NBA level, averaging double-digit assists and shooting the lights out. When that shot went in, the Tyrese Haliburton big balls celebration became the definitive image of that tournament. It was pure, unadulterated swagger.
The Cost of Confidence
The NBA doesn't play around with what they deem "obscene gestures." Historically, the league has handed out $15,000 to $25,000 fines like candy for this specific dance.
Fred VanVleet paid for it.
LeBron James paid for it.
Even the late Kobe Bryant did it.
💡 You might also like: Why the Fox Sports NFL Scoreboard is Still the Best Way to Track Sundays
For Haliburton, the fine is almost a rite of passage. It’s a tax on greatness. You’re essentially paying the league office for the right to tell the opposing bench that they can't guard you. Most players will tell you, off the record, that it's worth every penny. The momentum shift in the arena when a home crowd sees their star player go "heel" like a pro wrestler is worth way more than a few thousand dollars in a multi-million dollar contract.
Why the NBA Tries (and Fails) to Ban It
The league wants a family-friendly product. They want the highlights to be clean. But basketball is a game of extreme emotions.
You have ten of the most competitive humans on earth locked in a room together. Friction is inevitable. When Tyrese Haliburton hit that shot, he wasn't thinking about the "brand" or the "global audience." He was thinking about the fact that he just cooked one of the best defenses in the league.
There's a reason fans love it. It’s authentic. In an era of polished PR statements and carefully managed social media feeds, a raw, slightly "NSFW" celebration is a breath of fresh air. It shows that the players actually care. It shows there's real blood in the water.
Interestingly, Haliburton's use of the move sparked a bit of a debate among older players. Some saw it as a sign of disrespect to the veterans. Others, like Draymond Green, have often defended the right of players to show emotion. If you don't want the guy to celebrate, don't let him hit the thirty-footer. It’s that simple.
The Psychological Edge
If you’re a defender and the guy you’re guarding does that dance in your face, it gets under your skin. It’s supposed to.
Haliburton is normally seen as the "nice guy" of the NBA. He’s always smiling. He’s a pass-first point guard who celebrates his teammates' success more than his own. That’s what made the Tyrese Haliburton big balls celebration so jarring. It was a glimpse into the killer instinct that all top-tier players possess.
You can’t be a superstar in this league by being polite.
The move served as a psychological marker. It told the rest of the Eastern Conference that the Pacers were no longer "cute." They were dangerous. It changed the way teams scouted Indiana. They started playing Haliburton more physically, trying to rattle him. But once you’ve already done that dance on a national stage, you’ve already shown the world you can’t be rattled.
A History of "The Dance" Through the Decades
Before it was the Tyrese Haliburton big balls celebration, it belonged to a long lineage of agitators.
Sam Cassell is the godfather of the move, but it actually has roots that some trace back to the movie Major League. In the film, the character Pedro Cerrano does a similar gesture. Whether Cassell got it from the movie or just invented it on the fly is still a bit of a locker room mystery.
- Sam Cassell (The Originator)
- Eddie House (The 2000s Spark Plug)
- Jameer Nelson
- Marco Belinelli (Who did it after a massive playoff three for the Bulls)
- LeBron James (The "King" version that cost him $15k in 2021)
Every time it happens, the cycle is the same. The player does it. The clip goes viral. The league issues a fine 24 hours later. The fans buy the jersey.
The Pacers organization, for their part, seemed to embrace the edge Haliburton brought. While they can't officially condone a fine-worthy gesture, the energy in Gainbridge Fieldhouse shifted after that tournament run. The city of Indianapolis, often overlooked in the NBA landscape, suddenly had a "bad boy" point guard who wasn't afraid to stir the pot.
🔗 Read more: NBA Fantasy Waiver Wire: What Most People Get Wrong
Technical Mastery Meets Trash Talk
People focus on the gesture, but forget the play that led to it.
Haliburton’s game is built on a weird, unorthodox shooting form that experts said would never work in the pros. He has a low release. He shoots it like he’s pushing a chest pass into the air.
But it goes in.
Against Milwaukee, he used his size—6'5" with a long wingspan—to create just enough space against Damian Lillard. He stepped back. He looked at the clock. He knew it was "Tyrese Time." The celebration was the punctuation mark on a sentence that started with a crossover.
When you analyze the Tyrese Haliburton big balls celebration, you have to analyze the efficiency of the Pacers' offense. At the time, they were on pace for the highest offensive rating in NBA history. They were playing at a breakneck speed. They were "running and gunning" in a way that felt like the 1980s Showtime Lakers on caffeine.
Haliburton was the engine. If the engine wants to dance, you let it dance.
The Cultural Impact on the Pacers' Identity
For years, the Pacers were the "steady" team. They were Reggie Miller, sure, but after Reggie, they were a collection of hard-working, blue-collar guys like David West and Roy Hibbert. They were tough, but they weren't necessarily "flashy."
Haliburton changed the DNA of the team. He brought a West Coast flair to the Midwest.
The celebration wasn't just for him. It was for the fans who had been waiting for a reason to be loud again. It was for the teammates who were feeding off his confidence. When a leader isn't afraid of the league’s discipline, the rest of the roster feels invincible.
Looking Ahead: Will We See It Again?
With the NBA cracking down harder on "non-basketball moves" and taunting, players have to be careful. Haliburton has matured even more since that 2023 run. He’s dealt with hamstring injuries and the pressure of being an Olympic gold medalist.
However, the "big balls" dance is like a "break glass in case of emergency" celebration. You don't do it in a random Tuesday game against a bottom-feeder team. You save it for the big moments. You save it for the playoffs.
You save it for when you need to remind everyone who the best player on the court is.
If you’re looking to understand the modern NBA, don't just look at the stats. Look at the moments of friction. Look at the fines. The Tyrese Haliburton big balls celebration tells you more about the current state of the league than any box score ever could. It’s about the intersection of entertainment, high-stakes competition, and the refusal to be silenced by a corporate rulebook.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're following the career of Tyrese Haliburton or interested in NBA culture, here’s how to view these moments going forward:
- Watch the "Fine" Cycle: When a player like Haliburton pulls a stunt like this, watch how the media handles it. Usually, the "traditional" analysts will complain about sportsmanship, while the "new media" (and the players themselves) will celebrate it. This divide is the best place to find real insights into where the league is heading.
- Contextualize the Moment: A celebration is only as good as the play that preceded it. Haliburton’s "big balls" dance worked because he was genuinely dominating. If a bench player does it after a layup, it’s embarrassing. If a superstar does it after a game-winner, it’s iconic.
- Memorabilia Value: Moments like these often define a player’s "rookie/early career" era. For collectors, cards or jerseys from the "In-Season Tournament" era of Haliburton’s career carry a specific weight because of the swagger he displayed.
- Understand the "Villain" Arc: Every great player needs a bit of a villainous streak. Whether it’s Michael Jordan’s relentless trash talk or Larry Bird telling you exactly how he’s going to score on you, edge is required for greatness. Haliburton’s celebration was his first real step into that territory.
Next time you see a Pacer hit a massive shot, keep your eyes on the floor. The dance might be gone, but the confidence that fueled it is exactly what makes Tyrese Haliburton one of the most electric players in the game today.