Giannis Antetokounmpo has spoken about the incident that went down between him and Tyrese Haliburton’s Dad.
The Pacers eliminated the Bucks with 119-118 win to advance to the second round and the last few minutes were super tight.
After the buzzer, the Bucks star and Haliburton’s father had a heated exchange.
GIANNIS AND TYRESE HALIBURTON’S DAD GOING AT IT AFTER THE GAME 👀 😳
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/C371TdVjJN
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 30, 2025
After things cooled down, Giannis expressed frustration over what he perceived as disrespect from Haliburton’s Dad, who reportedly confronted him courtside, waving a towel and shouting insults.
“He was showing me a towel with Tyrese’s face and saying, ‘This is what we do,’ Giannis told the media. “I think that’s very disrespectful.”
He added, “In my neighborhood, snitches get stitches, so I won’t say what he said to avoid being fined, but it wasn’t respectful.”
Giannis emphasized the importance of humility in victory and noted, “Some people don’t know how to be humble in victory.” He contrasted this with his own family’s approach, noting that they stay out of the spotlight and avoid those kind of confrontations.
“I’m happy for him, I’m happy for his son, and I’m glad that makes him happy. But confronting me, disrespecting me, and cursing at me is totally unacceptable.”
In his own press conference, Haliburton didn’t disagree with Giannis’ sentiments.
“After we won, I kind of blacked out a little,” the Pacers guard said. “As far as the incident between Giannis and my pops, I had no idea it happened until I got to the back. I talked to my pops after, and I don’t agree with what transpired there from him. He needs to just allow me to play basketball. I’ll talk with Giannis about it. I don’t think my pops was right at all there.”
He added, “We will have a conversation. I’ll talk to Giannis. It’s unfortunate, we’re all grown men.”
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