Hans Perez has enjoyed a whirlwind few weeks.
A New York City native and basketball enthusiast, Perez has been presented with quite the conundrum as of late. The Big Apple has followed the Knicks’ push for a title with bated breath. So too has Perez, but for different reasons: he’s a Pacers fan, after all.
New York and Indiana dispatched their heavily-favored opposition to set up a joust in the Eastern Conference Finals. For Perez, that meant gallivanting around his home city’s beloved thoroughfares. Knicks fans performed a similar task. The ensuing encounter —which saw a collection of orange-and-blue-clad New Yorkers launch bags of trash towards Perez — took the internet by storm. It also prompted Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton to invite Perez to Indianapolis to cheer on his beloved side.
Tyrese Haliburton is flying out the Pacers fan who wore a Haliburton jersey in New York and had a bag of trash thrown at him by Knicks fans after Game 6.
The fan will attend Game 4 of the ECF.
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/3r1LYumshH
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 19, 2025
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Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Hans Perez?
Perez is a New York City firefighter, father and former amateur boxer. He’s also an Indiana basketball enthusiast, having cheered on the franchise for much of its existence.
“I’m a Pacers fan for life, man,” Perez told Pat McAfee during an appearance on his podcast. “They got my heart when I was a kid and I just stuck with them ever since.”
“I’m a Pacers fan for life” ~ Hans Perez#PMSLive https://t.co/8olkRAp8Cv pic.twitter.com/VaUY6QY8S8
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 19, 2025
Perez rattled through various iterations of the team that conjured up wonder during his youth, from the Reggie Miller and Jermaine O’Neal-led teams of the 1990s and early-2000s to the Danny Granger and Paul George-helmed sides of the late 2000s and early 2010s, respectively.
He’s even got a tattoo of the team’s logo etched into is skin.
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Knicks fans throw trash at Pacers fan
Perez is, simply put, a super fan. And like any super fan, he wanted to get a glimpse of his competition after the Knicks disposed of the Celtics handily in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
So, he made his way around Madison Square Garden. He was outfitted in Haliburton’s iconic strip, making his allegiances all the more clear.
Perez explained that things were fairly benign in the early stages of his trot. But the crowd grew bigger and rowdier as he made his way around the city. Eventually, it reached its zenith, with some attempting to rip his jersey off and others opting to hurl trash bags at him.
Knicks fans jumped a Haliburton fan. 😳 pic.twitter.com/PzjmzNnxRq
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) May 17, 2025
He got out unscathed in the end. His route became the talk of the town on social media after a clip of the encounter went viral.
On Monday, Perez received some good news, courtesy of Haliburton himself.
MORE: Knicks vs. Pacers prediction and keys to the Eastern Conference Finals
“I want to personally bring you and a plus-one out here to come to Game 4 here in Indiana,” Haliburton told Perez on McAfee’s podcast. “Everybody in our organization wants to make sure that you’re taken care of.”
WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU HANS
JOINING US NOW @TyHaliburton22 #PMSLive https://t.co/T0NoUT3yAx pic.twitter.com/aGhMvLvDRF
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 19, 2025
Perez still has to talk to some of his firefighting colleagues to ensure he can make the trek. But early indications seem to suggest that Perez can make the festivities.
“I gotta talk to the guys,” Perez said. “I mean, I’m pretty sure we can work something out.”
