The Pacers announced Friday that Haliburton's father, John, will not be attending the team's games for the foreseeable future after he ran onto the court Tuesday and confronted two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo moments after Indiana eliminated Milwaukee 4-1 on Haliburton's last-second layup.
“Growing up I think, like every other kid, if your dad claps too loud at a choir concert or whatever the case may be, you might be a little embarrassed," the younger Haliburton said Friday. "That's what it was at one point in my life, but it's gotten to the point now where my dad is who he is and I love him for who he is and so does everybody who knows him.”
Haliburton also acknowledged again, as he did shortly after Tuesday night's 119-118 overtime victory, that his father's reaction was wrong and chalked it up to be overly excited. Antetokounmpo thought initially it was a random fan on the court and called John Haliburton's actions “very, very disrespectful.”
It was the second straight year the Pacers eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and this time, it came courtesy of Haliburton blowing past Antetokounmpo for the game winner with 1.3 seconds to go. They'll open the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday at Cleveland.
Haliburton was too busy celebrating to see his father get in Antetokounmpo's face, sparking a postgame melee in which players from the two teams had to be separated. It wasn't until he was in the locker room that he saw the replay. When he emerged to speak with reporters, Haliburton said he'd already spoken with his father and would again.
Early Wednesday morning, John Haliburton posted an apology on his social media account.
“I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game,” he wrote. “This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.”
The Pacers apparently decided not to give him a chance to make the same error anytime soon. How long John Haliburton stays away — or whether he'll be seated that close to the court again if he is allowed to return — remains unclear.
But it hasn't changed Haliburton's opinion about his father.
“This is the last time I'll address this (situation) at all, but I understand the decision made by our organization and the league,” Haliburton said. “I've spoken on it many times, my father was in the wrong. But at the end of the day, it's my dad. So I'm not going to ridicule him by any means. ... I love him dearly.”
And as for those postgame meetings, well, Tyrese Haliburton still expects them to happen.
“He's going to sit at home and watch the game and he'll be just fine. We talk every day, it's going to be totally fine," the younger Haliburton said. “So this is just one thing and we're not defined by one thing that happens in our life. I'm not. We all make mistakes, and we move on, but he'll be fine. He'll watch at home, and I'll be getting texts at halftime and calls after the game.”
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