Tyrese Haliburton Calls Out His Father for Interaction With Giannis Antetokounmpo Following Game 5 Win

Prateek Singh | 30/04/2025
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ campaign came to an end tonight in Game 5 against the Pacers with a 118-119 loss. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team put forth a great fight, taking the game to overtime. However, the two turnovers in the concluding seconds of the game cost them their chance of redemption in the series.

Giannis’ triple-double and Gary Trent Jr.’s 33 points couldn’t save the Bucks from being eliminated from the first-round series. The highlight of the night, however, was a heated exchange between Giannis and Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton.

Haliburton had a great outing against the Bucks and even delivered the game-winning layup. After securing the dub, as the team and fans inside the arena were celebrating, John stepped onto the hardwood. Although it’s not acceptable to have family members step on the court, no one would’ve batted an eye if John didn’t get in Giannis’ face.

He was seen holding a banner with his son’s face on it and standing in front of the Bucks superstar. He stayed there, jawing at Giannis, as he was processing the loss until a few people stepped in to take him away.

After the game, as Giannis was shaking hands with people, he went to John, and they got into a heated exchange. The two had to be separated once again. It was disappointing to witness the events that transpired following the Bucks’ loss.

At the post-game presser, Haliburton talked about the interaction and expressed his disappointment.

He said, “As far as the incident between Giannis and my pops, I had no idea it happened until I got to the back and was shown the video. Me and my pops have talked about that. I don’t agree with what transpired there from him.”

“I’ll talk with Giannis eventually about it. I don’t think my pops was in the right at all. Unfortunate what happened,” Haliburton added. He said that his father must’ve been excited to see his son hit the game winner, but he shouldn’t have been on the floor against Giannis.

The Pacers and Bucks have gone at each other a few times throughout this series. However, seeing a family member get involved is an unfortunate sight.

Giannis also shared his thoughts on what happened between him and Haliburton’s father. He said that when his team won the championship, his family didn’t get involved, even in the celebration, as a sign of respect for the opposition. “I’m happy for him [John] and I’m happy for his son…but coming to me and disrespecting me, cursing at me, I think it’s totally unacceptable,” Giannis added.

The Pacers will now face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Semifinals.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
Giannis Antetokounmpo Tyrese Haliburton

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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