Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA Playoffs with a dominant 119–118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5. But after the buzzer, attention briefly shifted from the court to the sidelines — where Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, became involved in a verbal altercation with Bucks players.
According to AP News, the postgame scuffle unfolded near the tunnel as players exited the floor. Video showed John Haliburton engaging in a heated exchange with Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis. Security and team staff quickly intervened before things escalated.
Giannis Weighs In: ‘That Was Wrong’
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the series due to injury, also shared his thoughts. While he praised Haliburton as a competitor, he didn’t hold back when asked about the sideline drama.
“I like Haliburton. He’s a great player,” Giannis said. “But what his dad did, waving the towel with his son’s photo on it and yelling “that’s what we do” — that was wrong.”
According to AP News, Antetokounmpo was measured in tone but made it clear that respect between teams should extend beyond the players themselves.
Tyrese Haliburton Sets the Record Straight
In his postgame press conference, Tyrese Haliburton didn’t shy away from addressing the incident involving his father. Despite a 4–1 series win and a standout performance (26 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds), Haliburton made sure to publicly distance himself from the sideline drama.
“That’s not who we are as a family,” he said. “That’s not who I am. That’s not what I represent.”
Haliburton emphasized that while emotions run high during the playoffs, he doesn’t condone confrontations involving family members. He said the matter would be addressed internally.
“It’s unfortunate,” he added. “But we’re going to handle that privately and move forward.”
Pacers Advance, But the Moment Lingers
While the Pacers closed out the series convincingly and are riding high into the next round, the postgame scuffle sparked conversation across social media about player-family boundaries during games.
Fans debated whether NBA families should be held to the same standard of conduct, especially in tense playoff moments. For his part, Haliburton handled the situation with composure — redirecting the focus back to his team’s achievements.
“We don’t want that moment to define the win,” he said.
The Pacers now await their second-round opponent, while Tyrese Haliburton continues to lead one of the most exciting young teams in the postseason. But his response to the postgame event showed another side of his leadership — maturity beyond his years.
