What happens on the court, stays on the court. That’s the mantra the players believe in from day 1. But the day outsiders get involved with internal beefs, is when it all blows out of proportion. During the Bucks’ recent crashout against the Pacers in Game 5 of their first round series, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Haliburton’s father John were caught in a heated moment on the court. There were exachanges of profanities as well, in an incident the Greek dubbed “disrespectful”. But does anyone get flashbacks of LeBron James going through the same thing in 2008?

It was the Eastern Conference Semis, when a star-studded Celtics squad faced a withering Cavs. With LeBron and Paul Pierce going head-to-head, it seemed like all hell was about to break loose. And then it did. Pierce was seen grabbing and pulling the soon-to-be-King to the ground, ensuing chaos in Cleveland. This forced Bron’s mother Gloria James to jump in infuriation, like a mama bear protecting her little cub. But no player wants their parents involved. And that’s what LeBron acted on when he was heard asking his mom to “Sit your a– down!”

While these might not be hard copies of each other, they do come in the list of beef getting too personal in the NBA. Much the LeBron disser- Stephen A. Smith came to LeBron’s aid, defending the King’s actions from way back when.

“Kenny Smith brought up how LeBron James had basically told his mom, his own mother to sit down years ago when his mother had said something or clapped at some of the players. You don’t want that as a player. And I think that Mr. Haliburton needs to understand- this is a very, very big deal. Your son sat on a podium in front of the media with the national television cameras rolling and said, my dad was wrong. You have any idea how egregious that is? The son is having to check the father. And he stole the shine from his son’s moment,” said SAS on First Take.

He is right, though. If Tyrese himself is coming out condemning his father’s actions, there has to be a talk in the Haliburton household after. Let the players do the talking on the court. You can sit and enjoy the show from the stands like the rest of us. But apparently, Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t see it that way. In fact, he firmly believes that Giannis is equally to blame.

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley get into heated debate on TNT over Giannis-Haliburton incident

It does seem like there’s only one person to blame for this. Even SAS knows, just like Bron’s incident- business should be handled by the NBA superstars. Giannis had come out later and said this: “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.” John Haliburton has even come out since and publicly apologised for the incident. But Shaq seems to think that, “Giannis said something to him.”

This really got Charles Barkley heated up. He started the segment off by dropping words of wisdom for every spectator out there: “Come see the show, don’t be the show.” But the fact that Shaq is so hell bent on Giannis being at fault was beyond Chuck’s comprehension. Their exchange is too ambigious to genuinely translate. But after it, TNT cut to both Tyrese and Giannis’ version of events. Both say the same thing- Mr. Haliburton was in the wrong. But does this change Shaq’s POV? “No,” said the legend.

“That comes with the territory… I played for 19 years, that happens plenty of times.” You should see the look on Chuck and Kenny Smith’s face- utter disbelief. And Chuck had only one comment to make on Shaq’s take: “He’s an idiot. And if you think that right then you an idiot too.”

Was Mr. Haliburton in the wrong? 100%. Even SAS thinks so- when he felt compelled to support his public enemy LeBron James for doing the same years ago. But for Shaq to think that Giannis was at fault makes it feel loike there’s more to Shaq’s hate than what meets the eye. What do you think SAS feels about O’Neal’s take?