Tyrese Haliburton isn’t just making headlines for his game—his trash talk is getting just as much attention. The Indiana Pacers star had a few words for Tim Hardaway Jr., questioning his impact on the team. But that confidence didn’t sit well with everyone. One person who wasn’t a fan? The Pistons star’s dad. He saw Haliburton’s remarks as pure disrespect toward his son, and he wasn’t about to let it slide.
“Trash talking is trash talking, if you give it, you’re also supposed to take it,” he said. But according to him, Haliburton isn’t keeping the same energy when things aren’t going his way. “When you’re up, you talk too much… but when you’re not playing well, not producing how you’re supposed to produce, you can’t see ‘em.” Hardaway Sr. made it clear—if you’re going to talk, back it up. Otherwise? “Just shut up and play, man, because you’re not really like that.”
So, Hardaway Sr. knows what it’s like when someone comes after your kid. That’s exactly why he backed LeBron James for confronting Stephen A. Smith over Bronny James. “LeBron has the right to come and confront you whenever he wants to confront you. I do the same thing. I just do it behind closed doors,” he recently said on Run It Back.
Even though Hardaway Sr. prefers handling things privately, he understands why LeBron took his shot in public. “LeBron did it in a situation where he don’t want to see Stephen A. Smith,” he explained. “That presented itself right then and there… I don’t care if he’s in front of 20,000 people. I got to tell this man how I feel right now.”
Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Interestingly, the show’s host pointed out that “Allegedly, LeBron did try to reach out privately and that Stephen A. Smith did not do that.” If that’s true, does King James’ move make perfect sense? However, according to Hardaway Sr., there’s only one person to blame for this mess—Stephen A. Smith.
Did Stephen A. Smith cross the line with LeBron James?
Tim Hardaway Sr. didn’t hold back when calling out Stephen A. Smith for how he handled his recent run-in with LeBron James. The Hall of Famer blamed the longtime sports analyst for putting unnecessary attention on Bronny James, arguing that Smith turned a private moment into a public spectacle. Instead of keeping the discussion between himself and LeBron, Stephen A. made sure the world knew about it—at Bronny’s expense.
Interestingly, Hardaway pointed out that Bronny wouldn’t have even known he was the topic of discussion if Smith hadn’t gone on First Take to talk about it. The five-time All-Star also suggested that by airing the details, Smith may have unintentionally exposed LeBron’s true frustrations about the ongoing chatter surrounding his son.
“If Stephen A. never said the conversation was about Bronny, we would’ve never known what that conversation was about,” Hardaway said.
For Hardaway, this hit close to home. His own son, Tim Hardaway Jr., has faced heavy criticism from fans, especially during his struggles in Dallas last season. He knows what it’s like to see family members become media targets. What should’ve been a one-on-one discussion turned into another headline—thanks to Stephen A. once again making things bigger than they needed to be.
The post After Beef With Tyrese Haliburton, Pistons Star’s Dad Weighs In on LeBron-Stephen A. Smith Spat appeared first on EssentiallySports.
