Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, has spoken out on his on-court clash with Giannis Antetokounmpo after Tuesday’s Pacers-Bucks series finale, showing remorse for his actions.
After Indiana closed out the first-round playoff series over Milwaukee, John Haliburton got onto the court and started smack-talking the Bucks’ behemoth. Antetokounmpo did not take lightly to the move.
Now, hours after the elder Haliburton’s defying act, he has posted his first message on X of his own words since 2018 about the incident.
‘I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game,’ John said on social media. ‘This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.’
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar had to be restrained from John Haliburton in a fiery clash as the pair shared a tense exchange of words following the Pacers’ dramatic Game 5 overtime win.
John appeared to rub salt in the wound, approaching the Milwaukee power forward on the floor while waving a towel emblazoned with the image of his son.
Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, has spoken out on his on-court clash with Giannis
Antetokounmpo got into a confrontation with Tyrese Haliburton’s dad, John, on Tuesday night
Antetokounmpo appeared furious, erupting at the unsportsmanlike move before members of Bucks staff swiftly stepped in his way blocking him from Haliburton Snr.
After the game, Tyrese Haliburton revealed he did not know of his opponent and his father’s exchange until he was off the court.
‘I don’t agree with what transpired there with him,’ Tyrese said of his father’s actions. ‘… I talked with him. I’ll talk with Giannis, eventually, about it, I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there.’
Tyrese also mentioned how the playoffs ramp up the emotions and physicality from teams, with the Central Division clash being a ‘war of words’ with the culmination being Tuesday night’s showdown.
Antetokounmpo, who said he had been raised to be ‘humble in victory,’ has also opened up on the disrespect.
‘I thought he was a fan, but then I realized he was Tyrese’s dad,’ Antetokounmpo said, while making it clear respects the Pacers guard.
‘It was his dad… coming on the floor and showing me a towel with his [son’s] face,’ Antetokounmpo continued before paraphrasing John. ‘”This is what we do. This is what we effing do.”‘
‘I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful,’ Antetokounmpo added.
