“Me and my pops have talked about that, but again, I don’t agree with what transpired there from him……. Let’s keep it on the court,” said Tyrese Haliburton yesterday, regarding the on-court scuffle between his father and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Indiana Pacers got bragging rights yesterday after they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 to head to the Conference Semi-Finals. John Haliburton, who carries a reputation of being more competitive than Monica Geller, adopted those rights for himself and used it to taunt ‘The Greek Freak’. As the incident made Haliburton Sr. not so popular amongst netizens, he has now chosen to speak out and present his version of the story.

In an interview with NBC’s TMJ 4, John Haliburton recalled the eventful incident that concluded an already interesting matchup. He first discussed the infamous moment, when from a video shot as the Bucks-Pacers game ended at 119-118, it seemed like Haliburton Sr. was giving Giannis Antetokounmpo an earful, while the Bucks star listened with a neutral expression on his face. As John walked away, Giannis had to be held back by others, indicating that he wasn’t pleased with what his rival’s father said to him.

Haliburton Sr. denied saying anything crude by stating, “When I turned, it might have seemed like I was looking at him. But I really wasn’t. I was looking through him. That’s how I was in the moment.” As for what was said, Papa Haliburton said “And yes, I had the banner, in my hand going, and I was yelling “Yay, yay, yay, yay!”. Giannis never said anything to me. I never said anything to Giannis. There was no back and forth”.

The incident that followed this was Giannis Antetokounmpo confronting John Haliburton, and a simple exchange of words turned into something ugly as the duo had to be separated from each other. Haliburton Sr. made Giannis the villain of that moment, by revealing that “He grabbed my hands, he put his forehead on my forehead, and he said ‘Don’t disrespect me, don’t effing disrespect me, okay?’ And I said to him, ‘I wasn’t trying to disrespect you’, which I wasn’t. I’m telling you, I did not do that on purpose. I really did not”.

If John is to be believed, then both individuals said “I love you” to each other, patted their chest, and departed while Giannis gave a thumbs up, before walking away.

Well, that is quite the opposite of what Giannis told the media about the first incident. During the post-game presser, Antetokounmpo said that Tyrese’s father came down to the basketball floor and showed ‘The Greek Freak’ Tyrese’s towel that had the latter’s face on it. Giannis claimed to be taunted by John, who was saying, “This is what we do. This is what we F’ing do. This the F we do”.

For the Bucks star, the alleged taunting was “very, very disrespectful.” He also added, “I believe in being humble in victory. A lot of people out there that are like, no, when you win the game, you talk s— and it’s a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else. I disagree.”

As for the second incident, Giannis Antetokounmpo said he talked with John Haliburton after the skirmish, and that “we’re in a good place”.

In light of this, it is really hard to believe who to blame over the first incident. However, if John Haliburton had something to say, he should have said it sooner. After all, not initially speaking out earned him a bad reputation. Netizens immediately took to X after the incidents, and criticized the Pacers star’s father by writing “Some of the WEAKEST “fan” behavior I have ever seen.”, and “Tyrese Halliburton’s father is the example of a person who can’t handle success”.

The netizens had a strong foundation to make their case. The fact that Tyrese Haliburton made the game-winner in overtime to deliver the 4th win of the playoff series to the Indiana Pacers would have made John overwhelmed with joy. This, in turn, would have brought out his competitive side. If history is an indication, then John Haliburton can get intense when it comes to competitiveness.

Tyrese Haliburton’s father’s dislike for playing minutes once frustrated American Rapper: “You bugging up”

Back in December 2023, the ‘Club 520’ podcast hosted renowned American rapper Sada Baby. During the conversation, the now 32-year-old recalled attending a Pacers vs Bucks game. He was seated right next to Tyrese Haliburton’s parents. It was assumed that Tyrese Haliburton was getting fewer minutes than Damian Lillard on the court. This did not play well for the former’s parents. If both players were on the same team, then it would have made more sense to protest. However, it is not the Bucks roster’s fault that Lillard got more minutes. Despite this, John Haliburton was making his frustration known, which did not play well with the rapper (pun intended).

“You getting irritated that Dame was getting more minutes than him [Tyrese Haliburton] right now, you bugging up. And, n—-, this all woman right here so if you tweak out too bad, you feel me, and you think you ’bout to get off, I’mma roll you” said Sada Baby. “And I don’t wanna do that ’cause I like Haliburton. I ain’t met Tyrese, yet, you know what I’m saying. I ain’t trying to, I ain’t threatening your daddy, but I’m threatening your daddy.”

John Haliburton would have probably been pleased by the end of the game. After all, the Pacers won 119-128. Tyrese Haliburton posted 27 points, 15 assists, and 7 rebounds, aka a double-double. Damian Lillard, meanwhile, scored 24 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. It’s probably a good thing that Haliburton Sr. did not go and taunt Lillard at that point.

The Indiana Pacers are next set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. Aka the team with the second-best win record in the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Whether John Haliburton brings out his competitive side in this game, too, is something that remains to be seen.