The heat from the clash between the Haliburtons and Giannis Antetokounmpo has transcended the bounds of NBA hardwood. Yep, the usual banter between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal turned quite serious this time. Reason? The two stars are divided in their take on the whole incident between John Haliburton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Let’s rewind. The Milwaukee Bucks’ 2024–25 season came crashing down with a heartbreaker. Tyrese Haliburton sealed Game 5 of the Pacers-Bucks series with a last-second layup in overtime, effectively sending the Bucks home. But the drama didn’t end with the final buzzer. Right after the win, Tyrese’s father, John Haliburton, reportedly waved a towel at Giannis. Subsequently, the Greek Freak was seen in a heated exchange with Tyrese as well as John. The moment was tense, uncomfortable, and it was only a matter of time before the Inside the NBA crew weighed in.

And when they did? It was anything but calm. The conversation kicked off with the crew dissecting the post-game drama. Kenny Smith made his position clear—guests at the game can enjoy it, but shouldn’t try to make it about themselves. Charles Barkley didn’t hold back either. “I think I saw. Tyrese has already apologized for his dad’s actions,” he remarked. But that didn’t sit well with Shaquille O’Neal, who took the opposing stance. He argued that post-game chaos isn’t unusual and pointed out that John Haliburton is regularly present on the court.

That’s when things started to boil over. Chuck wasn’t budging. When he insisted that John had no business being on the court, Shaq interjected, telling him to stop. Barkley fired back with intensity, “No, you stop it. You’re not supposed to be on the court… That’s just stupid for you to say that.” You could feel the temperature rising. Neither of them backed down, and the disagreement kept growing.

Then came a bold claim from Shaq: “Bro Giannis said something to him [John Haliburton].” But Barkley shot that down immediately. “No, he did not… What is his dad doing on the court? His dad is not supposed to be on the court. You can yell as much as you want to. He’s an idiot. If you think that’s right, you’re an idiot too,” he snapped during the show.

Trying to cool things off, Ernie Johnson stepped in, briefly steering the conversation elsewhere. But the calm didn’t last long. Johnson circled back, asking if Shaq had reconsidered after watching clips. Chuck pointed out they even saw the towel. Still, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t waver. “I don’t care. It comes with the territory… I played 19 years. That happens plenty of times,” he said, standing firm. In the end, though, reality caught up. John Haliburton himself admitted he was in the wrong:

Tyrese Haliburton’s father issues an apology to Giannis Antetokounmpo

Tensions ran high during the recent Pacers-Bucks clash, but what unfolded after the final buzzer took things to another level. You might’ve already heard—John Haliburton, father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, got into a heated exchange with Giannis Antetokounmpo. And it wasn’t just some sideline banter. According to Giannis, he felt “disrespected” after the elder Haliburton cursed at him during the chaos.

Not long after the game wrapped up, John took to X (formerly Twitter) to offer a public apology. “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.”

Giannis shared what triggered the reaction, quoting Haliburton Sr. as shouting: “This is what we do. This is what we effing do. This is what the eff we do.” Even Tyrese acknowledged the misstep. “He was not in the right,” the point guard admitted postgame. He also mentioned plans to talk things out with Giannis—and with his dad. It seems that the conversation might’ve already happened, considering John’s apology followed soon after. Also, it would be fair to assume that Charles Barkley somewhat stood right in his take against Shaquille O’Neal.