Good thing Tyrese Haliburton’s father didn’t roll up on Charles Barkley.
The former NBA great said he would have “clocked” John Haliburton had he been on the other end of the run-in between the elder Hailburton and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday night.
After the Pacers won the game and clinched the first-round playoff series over the Bucks, John got into a confrontation with Antetokounmpo on the floor before the two were separated.
“Giannis is one of my favorite players,” Barkley said on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday. “He became more of one of my favorite players last night because ain’t no way in hell I wouldn’t have clocked his ass.
“Ain’t no way I wouldn’t have clocked him. And I ain’t trying to be no fake tough guy on television. There’s no way I wouldn’t have punched him in the face when he did what he did.”
Antetokounmpo took a different route, and it seemed the two had squashed the beef before the star came off the court during a second interaction.
Hailburton’s father has since publicly apologized for his actions.
“I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game,” Haliburton’s father wrote in a post on X. “This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.”
During an interview with TMJ4 in Milwaukee, Hailburton’s father said the heated interaction was taken out of context.
He acknowledged that he did go on the court to wave his son’s banner in celebration but didn’t intentionally try to stare down Antetokounmpo and that they ended the second interaction saying, “I love you.”
The Pacers advanced to the second round and will face the Cavaliers.