Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls Tyrese Haliburton’s Dad ‘Disrespectful’ After Incident On-Court

Giannis Antetokounmpo was highly critical of John Haliburton, Tyrese Haliburton’s father. Two-time MVP called him “disrespectful” after an on-court incident following the Milwaukee Bucks’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, April 29.

Following the game, John Haliburton made his way onto the court and waved a flag with his son’s face in front of Antetokounmpo to taunt him. Antetokounmpo also said that John swore at him.

Shortly thereafter, the two met face-to-face and shook hands before being separated.

When asked about the interaction at the post-game press conference, Antetokounmpo shared his thoughts on the matter.

“I believe in being humble in victory,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “A lot of people out there that are like, no, when you win the game, you talk sh*t and it’s a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else. I disagree.”

At the moment I thought he was a fan,” Antetokounmpo said. “But then I realized it was Tyrese’s dad. I love Tyrese. I think he’s a great competitor. [But] it was his dad,” he continued. Coming in the floor and showing me his son, a towel with his face, [and saying], ‘This is what we do. This is what we F-ing do. This is what the F we do.’ I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.

Speaking about the incident, Tyreese Haliburton told reporters that he didn’t “agree” with his father’s actions.

“Basketball is basketball, and let’s keep it on the court,” Tyreese said. “I think he just got excited, saw his son make a game winner, ran and came on the court, but we had a conversation.”

Afterwards, John Haliburton offered an apology for his behavior.

“I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game,” posted an X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday morning. “This was not a good reflection on our sport, or my son and I will not make that mistake again.”