Round 1 exit for the Bucks and a win for the Pacers, yet the narrative was not that simple. After the game 5 win, the focus switched to Tyrese Haliburton’s father and his alleged in-your-face actions. The player on the receiving end of this was none other than Giannis Antetokounmpo. Later, the Bucks star expressed his issues, which the Pacers’ front office agreed to. But Shaquille O’Neal is not a fan of the decision.

John Haliburton, after the buzzer, stormed the court, towel in hand, shouting toward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis thought he was a fan at first—until things got tense. The Greek Freak said in the post-match conference, “Coming in the floor and showing me his son’s towel… I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.” It was a sentiment from a lot of people who watched the situation unfold. Moreover, Tyrese Haliburton didn’t shy away from calling out his father’s actions either.

“I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there,” he said. “Basketball is basketball, and let’s keep it on the court.” The Pacers were quick to pass judgment on John Haliburton, who apologized for his behavior. As per veteran insider Shams Charania, John Haliburton will not attend the team’s home and road games for the foreseeable future. After a meeting with John, the Indiana front office made this decision. During the recent Inside the NBA, the crew spoke about this.

Ernie Johnson reminded everyone about the suspension for Tyrese Haliburton’s father. But Shaquille O’Neal was not on board. This time he would say just one word in his disappointing voice. “Man,” and this word was not repeated once but thrice during the segment. So, it’s clear Shaq is not happy with this decision. But not everyone from the Inside crew is against this. Kenny Smith said, “Well, you know any other fan ran in the court they got the same punishment.”

Not the only time, Shaquille O’Neal argued with an Inside the NBA analyst

What stands out about the Emmy-winning show is that the personalities don’t shy away from locking horns during any debate. The majority of the time, it’s Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley who refuse each other’s claims. This time was the severity of the issue was because of the punishment to John Haliburton after his on-court antics against the Bucks’ superstar.

Shaquille O’Neal argued that the moment wasn’t that serious, suggesting Giannis overreacted and chalking it up to the emotions of a playoff win. He stated, “I’m just saying don’t be a punk and whine about it.” But Barkley didn’t hold back. Naturally frustrated, he fired back at Shaq, calling the actions of John Haliburton completely out of line.

“His dad is not supposed to be on the court. He’s an idiot, and if you think that’s right, you’re an idiot, too.” Two completely different chains of thought, and it is clear that the Pacers executives listened to Barkley and Kenny Smith. Tyrese Haliburton’s father did offer an apology and even clarified that the Bucks star and he are now “in a good place.” The only pain point for him would be not seeing his son in action in the Conference Semifinals against the Cavs.