Watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Haliburton's father John's heated exchange goes viral
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were sent packing by Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers after a shocking end to Game 5. The Bucks were up by seven with 40 seconds left in overtime, but the Pacers went on an 8-0 run to steal the game and win the series 4-1.
After the game, Antetokounmpo was caught by cameras having a heated exchange with Haliburton's father, John Haliburton. They dapped each other as a sign of respect, but the two were literally head-to-head in an intense conversation before people separated them.
"The Greek Freak" gave John a nod and acknowledgement after it happened, though Bennedict Mathurin seemingly wanted a piece of him. Things did calm down as Antetokounmpo shook hands with other players such as James Johnson, who also had a conversation with the two-time NBA MVP.
Here's the video of Giannis Antetokounmpo and John Haliburton:
The incident was triggered by John Haliburton, who approached Giannis Antetokounmpo after the game. John was hyped and talking trash to "The Greek Freak" after Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot to send the Milwaukee Bucks to the offseason.
However, it was an inappropriate behavior by the elder Haliburton since it put the spotlight away from his son and the Indiana Pacers. Bucks guard Pat Connaughton, Pacers guard TJ McConnell and a Pacers assistant coach diffused the situation.
Here's the video of what likely triggered the interaction above:
Tyrese Haliburton reacts to his father's altercation with Giannis Antetokounmpo
Speaking to reporters after the game, Tyrese Haliburton was asked about what happened between his father and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Haliburton explained that he blacked out after his game winner and didn't know what transpired until after the game.
His teammates showed him the video of what happened and immediately spoke to his father about it. He doesn't agree with what his father did, explaining that basketball rivalries should stay on the court. He also explained that John was just excited about his son hitting the series-winning shot.
"I had no idea what happened until I was in the back and was shown the video," Haliburton said. "Me and my pops have talked about that, and I don’t agree with what transpired there from him. I think basketball is basketball, let’s keep it on the court. I think he just got excited when I hit the game-winner."
Haliburton added that he'll also speak to Giannis personally about what happened. Antetokounmpo called John disrespectful, but understood what the elder Haliburton was doing and where he was coming from as a father.