Despite starting the season on a disappointing note, the Milwaukee Bucks found their rhythm and secured a spot in the first round of the playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo had his sights set on winning another championship with Milwaukee, but the playoff series exposed the team’s struggles on the court. In a crucial moment of Game 5, Gary Trent Jr.’s costly mistake sealed their fate, and the Bucks were knocked out of title contention.
Not long after the final buzzer, Giannis became the center of attention. The Bucks star engaged in a heated exchange, not with a player from the Pacers, but with Tyrese Haliburton’s father.
While Giannis was standing at the baseline, visibly affected by the loss, Haliburton’s father approached him and appeared to mock him. He had initially been seated on a baseline chair, covered with a towel featuring his son’s image, before getting up to provoke the Bucks star.
Here’s another angle of Haliburton’s dad and Giannis. This is insane behavior by an old ass man.
— sqr (@squaresense) April 30, 2025
Watch the guy in the black jersey initially sitting down in a chair with the towel on the baseline pic.twitter.com/4ldMy1Oxke
Many criticized Haliburton’s father’s behavior as inappropriate, especially for someone his age. Witnessing his son’s strong performance and the Pacers’ big win may have fueled his outburst.
Haliburton had delivered a game-tying dunk to push the game into overtime. Then, following a fumbled inbound pass by Gary Trent Jr. with just five seconds left, Haliburton scored a layup. It sealed a 119-118 win for Indiana and eliminated the Bucks from the playoffs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Speaks Out On Disrespectful Encounter
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After the game, Antetokounmpo addressed the bizarre postgame encounter. He expressed both confusion and disappointment over what took place.
“I believe in being humble in victory… I thought it was a fan, but then I realized it was Tyrese’s dad. Which I love Tyrese—I think he’s a great competitor. His dad coming on the floor and showing me his son — a towel with his face on (it), (saying) ‘This is what we do. We do this.’ I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful,” Giannis said.
Giannis believes in being humble in victory. pic.twitter.com/GYEXyHoXUu
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 30, 2025
Meanwhile, Haliburton later admitted he hadn’t witnessed the interaction at the time. But after being informed, he acknowledged that his father had stepped out of bounds with his behavior.
