"Don't think my pops was in the right": Tyrese Haliburton reacts to dad John and Giannis Antetokounmpo's heated postgame exchange
Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had an intense exchange after Game 5 on Tuesday. Behind the point guard's game-winning drive in overtime, the Indiana Pacers escaped with a 119-118 victory. Instead of handshakes to cap off the showdown, some Bucks and Pacers players engaged in a shoving match.
The most unlikely confrontation happened between Haliburton's dad and the two-time MVP. In the postgame conference, the star point guard addressed the incident:
“As far as the incident between Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and my pops, I had no idea it happened until I got back and we showed the video. Me and my pops have talked about that, but again, I don’t agree with what transpired there from him. Basketball is basketball. Let’s keep it on the court. … I don’t think my pops was in the right at all.”
Tyrese Haliburton repeatedly mentioned that “emotions” got the better of his father. Giannis Antetokounmpo said in his postgame conference that he felt “disrespected” by John, who Antetokounmpo claimed cursed at him.
According to the younger Haliburton, what his father did was a reaction to the “war of words” that prevailed during the series. The former All-Star noted that everything that took place on the court was part of the brewing rivalry between the Bucks and the Pacers. Haliburton said he would talk to Giannis Antetokounmpo about what happened and promised to have a conversation with his father.
Giannis Antetokounmpo said he was happy for Tyrese Haliburton and his father but would not take the “disrespect.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo inevitably had to answer questions about the confrontation with Tyrese Haliburton’s father. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar had a lengthy response as he promised not to say anything after the press conference.
Antetokounmpo said:
“I’m happy for him and I'm happy for his son and I'm happy that he's happy for his son. That's how he is supposed to feel but coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me, I think it’s totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable!”
The Greek Freak claimed that he thought the man who confronted him was a fan. According to him, Tyrese Haliburton’s father waved a towel at him and barked:
“This is what we Effin do. This is what the eff we do.”
Antetokounmpo added that being humble in victory is important and cited how his parents showed respect in every facet of life. He capped off his response by saying that he thought he was “in a good place.”
