Which moment of the 90s NBA would you describe as a ‘legacy-creating’ moment? Of course, anything to do with Michael Jordan, or John Paxson’s game-winning 3 during Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals. Another moment, however, that is right up there occurred on May 7th, 1995, when Reggie Miller scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds to beat the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. What made the moment even more memorable was when Miller celebrated by using a “choking gesture” directed towards Spike Lee. 3 decades later, that action makes a return, leaving the now former player completely perplexed.

The Indiana Pacers managed to take Game 1 of their playoff series against the New York Knicks to overtime. Tyrese Haliburton made the 2-pointer that tied the score, a moment that was so exciting that it brought the entire Pacers squad off the bench, and towards the player to dap him up. Haliburton, in turn, marked the moment by recreating Reggie Miller’s “choking gesture”. Miller, who was calling the game from the sidelines, caught the moment. All he could exclaim was “Oh my God.”

The celebration could have been considered a bit premature. After all, Tyrese Haliburton and several people at Madison Square Garden thought the shot was a 3-pointer when it went in. Unfortunately, Haliburton’s toe was on the line when the shot was made, causing the Pacers to receive only 2 points. Fortunately, in the end, things worked out well, as the Pacers won overtime by taking a 138-135 lead. Therefore, go ahead and let people know more about that ‘choking’ you delivered, Tyrese.

Reggie Miller made his “choking gesture” famous by making it a part of his beef with Spike Lee. The American film director was famous for being a fixture at Knicks’ games for three decades, and regularly trash-talking with opposing players during the franchise’s run of success back in the 1990s. NBA fans who viewed ‘The Last Dance’ might remember the fun ‘banter’ that Lee and Michael Jordan shared during a Bulls-Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. However, not everyone took Lee’s trash-talking as well as His Airness. After all, as Reggie Miller revealed in 2015, Lee’s taunts were “a little personal,” and they would even reference his sister, aka basketball star Cheryl Miller. Therefore, when Lee reportedly kept taunting Miller when the Knicks and Pacers faced off in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller pulled out the gesture to get back at his critic.

Reggie Miller would have once again been on everyone’s mind after Tyrese Haliburton sealed his overtime shot with the famous gesture. As the player revealed, he had that bullet in his arsenal for quite a while now.

Tyrese Haliburton revealed saving Reggie Miller’s “choking gesture” for the right moment: “That felt appropriate”

Tyrese Haliburton is someone who holds Reggie Miller in high regard. After all, the former player was the face of the Indiana Pacers for 18 years. While he never won a championship with the team, Miller did secure several individual accolades to his name, and was amongst the few who could give a tough competition to the likes of Michael Jordan and other legendary players of the 90s. Therefore, it made sense that if Haliburton was going to use the gesture, he would use it at the right moment.

After his 31 points & 11 assists performance drove the Pacers to victory, Tyrese Haliburton joined Allie LaForce for a Q&A session. During the same, the TNT reporter brought up the celebration by asking, “And you had to do the choke sign too, right?” This led Haliburton to reveal that “Everybody’s been wanting me to do it, I was gonna hold it for the right time. That felt appropriate, and then, you know, it went to overtime. So, we’re gonna have to save it for later”. This means that we have not seen the last of the “choking gesture” yet!

This recent incident wasn’t the first time that Tyrese Haliburton had been taunting the Knicks squad with the “choking gesture”. Fans might remember how Haliburton donned a hoodie, with a picture of Miller’s famous choke pose, after defeating Jalen Brunson and co in Game 7. Along with trolling the team he had just sent packing, the decision to wear the hoodie would have also stemmed from the fact that Haliburton had to deal with an unknown heckler during the game. Similarly to how Reggie Miller had to deal with Spike Lee. The heckling only fuelled the player, leading him to deliver a performance that sealed the Knicks’ elimination from the 2024 Playoffs.

With his recent “choking gesture”, Tyrese Haliburton made it known that he has all the intention of repeating history. Therefore, one can presume that Reggie Miller will certainly be left entertained, along with thousands of fans, throughout the series.