Why did Giannis Antetokounmpo clash with Tyrese Haliburton's father? Leaked video reveals real reason
Giannis Antetokounmpo clashed with Tyrese Haliburton's father, John Haliburton, after the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the NBA playoffs in Game 5. A new video has revealed the reason for it, with Tyrese confirming what happened postgame.
In the video below, Giannis was standing on the court as Pacers players were celebrating when John approached him and was seemingly talking some trash. Pat Connaughton got in between them, with an Indiana assistant and TJ McConnell approached "The Greek Freak" to diffuse the situation.
In his postgame press conference, Tyrese Haliburton confirmed that his father was in the wrong with the incident with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Haliburton has spoken with his father, pointing out that it should never have happened.
"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."
The younger Haliburton also told reporters that he'll be speaking to the Milwaukee Bucks superstar about it. The Pacers and Bucks have developed a rivalry over the past two years, and things have been heating up on the court.
However, it should never have included family, which Tyrese preached after the game. John has been very supportive of his son, but his actions went a little too far after Indiana's Game 5 win.
Giannis Antetokounmpo explains what happened between him and John Haliburton
In his postgame press conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked about his perspective on what happened between him and John Haliburton. Antetokounmpo explained that he thought it was a trash-talking fan at first before realizing that it was Tyrese Haliburton's father.
"The Greek Freak" said that John was talking trash and cursing at him. He was surprised by the elder Haliburton's action because being humble goes a long way. He understood the emotion, but it was still disrespectful.
"Losing a game, emotions ran high," Antetokounmpo said. "At the moment, I thought it was a fan, but then I realized it was Tyrese's dad. I love Tyrese, I think he's a great competitor. His dad came to the floor showing me a towel with his son's face, saying, 'This is what we do. This is what we effing do.' I feel like that's very, very disrespectful."
Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly advised the Pacers to be humble in victory, though they deserve to celebrate, reminding them that the job's not finished. Despite what happened with John, as well as Bennedict Mathurin, Giannis said he's in a good place.