John Haliburton, father of Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton, will not attend Pacers games for at least the rest of the 2024-25 playoffs. He was caught in a post-game altercation with Giannis Antetokounmpo following Indiana’s series win against the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the week. According to the Pacers organization, an agreement was made that Haliburton wouldn’t attend both road and away games for the foreseeable future.
Immediately after Indiana’s series-clinching overtime victory against Milwaukee, Haliburton approached Antetokounmpo on the court and was seen waving a towel and shouting in his direction. Shortly after that, Antetokounmpo and the father of the Pacers’ star found each other again, having a brief yet heated conversation in which they had to be separated. In the post-game press conference, Antetokounmpo claimed that Haliburton was ‘disrespectful’ and didn’t belong on the court in that moment.
“Having a fan, which at the moment I thought was a fan, but then I realized it was Tyrese’s (dad),” Antetokounmpo said. “Showing me his son’s towel with his face on (it), saying: ‘This is what we do. This is what we effin’ do. This what the eff we do.’ I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.”
Tyrese later explained that he also didn’t condone his father’s actions, stating that it reflected the rivalry between Milwaukee and Indiana.
“I don’t think my Pops was in the right,” Haliburton said about his father. “A war of antics. A lot of personal stuff going on. That’s just part of this rivalry and what we’ve built here over the past couple of years.”
Antetokounmpo said that he and Haliburton were in a ‘good place.’ Despite that, the two-time MVP also clarified that while the team celebrated the first-round victory, the Pacers should remain humble.
“I believe in being humble in victory,” Antetokounmpo said in the post-game press conference. “A lot of people out there that are like, no, when you win the game, you talk s— and it’s a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else. I disagree. I’ve won the championship. They haven’t.”
Haliburton later apologized for his actions on social media, saying that it wasn’t a good representation of his son and that it wouldn’t happen again. The next day, he retold his side of the story during an interview. Haliburton claimed that he was ‘looking through him (Antetokounmpo)’ and didn’t taunt him in any way. While the two seem to be on good terms now, it is clear that they both have opposing opinions on the altercation.
In what seems to be the final piece of the story, Shams Charania broke the news that Haliburton wouldn’t be at any more upcoming Pacers games to support his son and the team. He and the organization agreed, closing the door on any more post-game altercations for at least the rest of this playoff run.
The interaction between Haliburton and Antetokounmpo was somewhat surprising, but it represents the rivalry between the two teams. The post-game moment could also be the lasting memory for Antetokounmpo on the Bucks, as with Damian Lillard’s Achilles injury, the team doesn’t look to have an immediate future as contenders. Antetokounmpo has also been in numerous trade rumors, but has yet to comment publicly about his upcoming plans.
Indiana has knocked out Milwaukee in three straight postseasons and is set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. Even without Haliburton cheering from the stands, the Pacers have clearly shown they do not back down from the league’s top talent and hope to challenge the number one seed in the East.
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