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INDIANAPOLIS -- After the buzzer rang on a thrilling 119-118 overtime victory by the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse ended the Milwaukee Bucks' season, players from both teams began coming together on the court.
Only Giannis Antetokounmpo found a fan — who he did not initially know was John Haliburton, father of Pacers star Tyrese — in his face with a flag, celebrating the Pacers victory.
But Antetokounmpo and John Haliburton got into a very heated conversation and the pair had to be broken up. After the game, in a nearly 4-minute response to a question to as to what happened after the game, Antetokounmpo said, in part:
"I believe being humble in victory. That's the way I am. Now, there can be a lot of people out there that are like no, when you win the game you gotta talk (expletive) and it's a green light for you to be disrespectful toward somebody else. I disagree. I won a championship. They haven't. That doesn't say anything. I'm not trying to minimize their effort."
He then offered an anecdote his mother, Veronica, was unsure if she could walk on the court to hug him at Fiserv Forum following the Bucks' championship-sealing victory in Game 6.
Antetokounmpo said John Haliburton shouted, "This is what we do! This is what we (expletive) do! This is what (expletive) we do!" while waving a flag with his son's face in Antetokounmpo's.
"I feel like that's very, very disrespectful, you know?" Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo added maybe in 20 years he, too, will be too passionate at one of his son's game and added, "I'm happy for him and I'm happy for his son and I'm happy that he's happy for his son. That's how you're supposed to feel. But coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me, I think is totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable, OK?"
He also added, "I talked with him at the end. And I think we're in a good place."
Tyrese Haliburton agreed his father, who always sits in the front row on the baseline at Pacers' home games, was in the wrong. After Haliburton's game-winner he exchanged a passionate hug with John and a respectful one with Antetokounmpo, but he wasn't present for the exchange between the two. He said he didn't see the exchange between his father and Antetokounmpo until he had returned to the locker room and saw video.
"Me and my pops have talked about that," Tyrese Haliburton said in his postgame news conference. "I don't agree with what transpired there from him. I think basketball is basketball and let's keep it on the court. I think he just got excited, saw his son make a game-winner and came on the court. We had a conversation. He needs to just allow me to play basketball and stay over there, I'll come to him to celebrate."
Tyrese Haliburton also said he would reach out to Antetokounmpo.
"I'll talk with Giannis eventually about it," Haliburton said. "I don't think my pops was in the right at all there. Unfortunate what happened at the end there."
But that wasn't the end of the back-and-forth for the Bucks star.
Once Antetokounmpo and the elder Haliburton were separated, the Bucks star got into another verbal altercation that turned physical with Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin. After congratulating a couple of Pacers players, Antetokounmpo pulled Mathurin in close by placing his hand on the back of Mathurin's head, and suddenly the two began pushing one another and again, had to be separated.
Antetokounmpo's postgame interview was ended after his discussion about Haliburton and Mathurin did not speak to reporters postgame.
It was the culmination of yet another heated series in which the Bucks and Pacers had combined for 12 combined technical foul calls over five games. Last season the two teams were called for 13 technical fouls in six games.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Giannis Antetokounmpo gets face-to-face with Tyrese Haliburton's dad
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Only Giannis Antetokounmpo found a fan — who he did not initially know was John Haliburton, father of Pacers star Tyrese — in his face with a flag, celebrating the Pacers victory.
But Antetokounmpo and John Haliburton got into a very heated conversation and the pair had to be broken up. After the game, in a nearly 4-minute response to a question to as to what happened after the game, Antetokounmpo said, in part:
"I believe being humble in victory. That's the way I am. Now, there can be a lot of people out there that are like no, when you win the game you gotta talk (expletive) and it's a green light for you to be disrespectful toward somebody else. I disagree. I won a championship. They haven't. That doesn't say anything. I'm not trying to minimize their effort."
He then offered an anecdote his mother, Veronica, was unsure if she could walk on the court to hug him at Fiserv Forum following the Bucks' championship-sealing victory in Game 6.
Antetokounmpo said John Haliburton shouted, "This is what we do! This is what we (expletive) do! This is what (expletive) we do!" while waving a flag with his son's face in Antetokounmpo's.
"I feel like that's very, very disrespectful, you know?" Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo added maybe in 20 years he, too, will be too passionate at one of his son's game and added, "I'm happy for him and I'm happy for his son and I'm happy that he's happy for his son. That's how you're supposed to feel. But coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me, I think is totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable, OK?"
He also added, "I talked with him at the end. And I think we're in a good place."
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Tyrese Haliburton agreed his father, who always sits in the front row on the baseline at Pacers' home games, was in the wrong. After Haliburton's game-winner he exchanged a passionate hug with John and a respectful one with Antetokounmpo, but he wasn't present for the exchange between the two. He said he didn't see the exchange between his father and Antetokounmpo until he had returned to the locker room and saw video.
"Me and my pops have talked about that," Tyrese Haliburton said in his postgame news conference. "I don't agree with what transpired there from him. I think basketball is basketball and let's keep it on the court. I think he just got excited, saw his son make a game-winner and came on the court. We had a conversation. He needs to just allow me to play basketball and stay over there, I'll come to him to celebrate."
Tyrese Haliburton also said he would reach out to Antetokounmpo.
"I'll talk with Giannis eventually about it," Haliburton said. "I don't think my pops was in the right at all there. Unfortunate what happened at the end there."
But that wasn't the end of the back-and-forth for the Bucks star.
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Once Antetokounmpo and the elder Haliburton were separated, the Bucks star got into another verbal altercation that turned physical with Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin. After congratulating a couple of Pacers players, Antetokounmpo pulled Mathurin in close by placing his hand on the back of Mathurin's head, and suddenly the two began pushing one another and again, had to be separated.
Antetokounmpo's postgame interview was ended after his discussion about Haliburton and Mathurin did not speak to reporters postgame.
It was the culmination of yet another heated series in which the Bucks and Pacers had combined for 12 combined technical foul calls over five games. Last season the two teams were called for 13 technical fouls in six games.
Get IndyStar's Pacers coverage sent directly to your inbox with the Pacers Update newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Giannis Antetokounmpo gets face-to-face with Tyrese Haliburton's dad
Continue reading...
