In the heat of victory, one fan forgot to keep his cool, and it was the player’s own father. On April 29, 2025, the Indiana Pacers pulled off a thrilling 119–118 overtime win against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of their playoff series. Thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch layup with just 1.3 seconds left. However, the postgame excitement took a weird turn when Tyrese’s dad, John Haliburton, ran onto the court during the celebrations. He went up to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. And waved a towel with his son’s face on it and allegedly yelled something. Giannis later called the moment “very, very disrespectful,” stressing that winners should stay humble.

After the incident, the Indiana Pacers and the NBA decided to ban John Haliburton indefinitely from attending any of Tyrese’s games, home or away. John even issued a public apology later. “I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game. This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son, and I will not make that mistake again.” Tyrese addressed his dad’s behavior, agreeing it was out of line but standing by him as family. “I’ve spoken on it many times that my father was in the wrong, but at the end of the day, it’s my dad. So, I’m not going to ridicule him by any means. I love him dearly” he said.

There have been many mixed reactions floating around. The NBA and Pacers are holding firm on their decision to ban John Haliburton. Big names like Stephen A. Smith even backed the move, calling the whole thing “embarrassing” and saying the league had to take action. But not everyone sees it that way. Some, like Charles Barkley and other players, are cutting John some slack, understanding it as a dad getting caught up in the moment.

Charles Barkley recently gave a strong verdict about the whole ban situation. On NBA On TNT, He said “It’s time to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building. Adam, I’m asking you.” The two time Hall Of Famer, looked right in the camera, and strongly urged Adam Silver and the league. “My man paid his dues. He did something really, really stupid.” He accepted the weight of the situation but even defended John Haliburton. “I’m asking you & the Indiana Pacers to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building for Games 3 & 4.”

Chuck simply urged to loosen up the restrictions and let Tyrese Haliburton‘s father in for witnessing the upcoming games 3 and 4 live. “He’s been punished enough & won’t do anything that stupid again.” Charles Barkley clearly believes the league has imposed enough restrictions on a father who got a little too excited watching his son nail a clutch moment. He feels so confident that he can vouch John Haliburton won’t repeat his actions – but fans still remain divided on this take.

What the fans had to say on Charles Barkley’s comment…

One fan supported Charles Barkley by saying “If he does it again, banned forever. But give him the chance to correct his mistakes… even Giannis forgave him and that is what is more important.” He actually made a fair point – this wasn’t some random court-crashing fan. “That’s not any stranger on the court, that is his son… of course it’s a different emotional impact. He should be given the chance to attend games again.” We’re talking about a dad who got swept up in the emotion of seeing his son make a career-defining play.

Some fans quickly rallied behind Barkley’s take with enthusiastic support: “Chuck is the man 🙌”. The responses show plenty of fans think the punishment was too harsh. Another person said “Agree, let the man in the building!!”. At its core, this perspective values second chances. People showed plenty of support to Charles Barkley “Barkley is 100% right.” Especially since John already apologized and Giannis moved on. The feel that a father’s emotional reaction, while over the top, shouldn’t cost him the chance to watch his son play live ever again.

However, there are also folks who aren’t buying Charles Barkley’s argument at all. They’re flashing back to infamous NBA brawls like the 2004 “Malice at the Palace” where player-fan altercations turned dangerous. Their point is that letting a fan (even a player’s dad) confront a superstar on the court could turn scary. “Chuck oh please…That could have started a melee like Detroit and Indiana… when fans get too involved like that. Maybe next year. As of now, hell no.” They’d rather see John sit out the rest of the playoffs and prove he can behave before getting another chance.

This fan continued “Taunting a player and trying to go toe-to-toe with one of the faces of the league in that moment, completely out of line.” These people are less worried more about basic respect. They argue that waving a towel in Giannis’ face right after an emotional playoff loss wasn’t just “excitement”.  It was deliberate provocation of one of the NBA’s biggest stars. Their stance is that the league can’t make exceptions for bad behavior. Even for family members, without undermining player respect and court boundaries.

Both sides agree the action was wrong, but fundamentally disagree on whether it was a “heat of the moment” slip-up or something that needed the hammer to protect the league’s standards. We would love to know your thoughts on this.