No fanfare, just fan ire as Turner returns to Indiana with the Bucks

INDIANAPOLIS — Myles Turner was hoping that, after everything he did for the Indiana Pacers, his longtime fans would at least give him a polite, warm welcome back in his first game against his former team.

Instead, all he heard was boos — all night long.

They started from the moment the public-address announcer introduced his pregame video tribute. Each time Turner touched the ball, scored a point or checked into the game, the hurtful crescendo of jeers would restart.

"It was disheartening. Man, it was frustrating," he said after helping the Milwaukee Bucks pull out a 117-115 victory on his old home court. "You give 10 years of your life, your blood, sweat and tears. You take pay cuts, you survive trade rumors, you try to do everything the right way, and then, sometimes, that stuff shakes out. It's cool, you know, I'll take it on the chin."

Turner certainly had people on his side.

His family sat courtside and received pregame hugs from John Haliburton, the father of Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said before the game that he expected Turner to receive the warm reception he deserved. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game he was discouraged by how it all played out. And, in between, Turner took time to check in on former teammates and thank the members of the Pacers training staff for what they did during his first decade in the league.

His new teammates had his back.

"Myles needed this, and we all needed this for him," Bucks guard Cole Anthony said.

"This was a hostile environment for him, especially tonight. I think they booed him every time he got the ball or checked into the game, so I'm definitely glad we were able to get that done for him."

Turner was one of the longest-tenured Pacers in franchise history and thought he'd experienced virtually every possible environment he could imagine in Indianapolis, from an NBA Finals appearance to an All-Star Game. Then came Monday.

"I was joking with the guys that I've never even seen the visitor's locker room, that I didn't even know what it looked like, so definitely just a different territory, to say the least," he said after the morning shootaround.

Turner's decision to leave the Pacers in free agency and sign with the rival Bucks sparked the fans' anger with him.

Word of Turner's surprise departure leaked less than two weeks after Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles tendon in the first half of a Game 7 Finals loss to Oklahoma City, and after management had already said that re-signing Turner was the offseason priority.

"I'm sure it's kind of an emotional thing for him," Rivers said of Turner's return. "I've done it, and it's a lot easier doing it as a coach. You get fired, go back, pretty easy."

Some fans were merely upset that Turner took the four-year, $107 million contract and ran. Others, however, took umbrage at his post-signing comments, such as wanting to play for a team that would remain competitive this season, or in a city that would "celebrate him".

Turner has tried to clarify those comments multiple times, and took more time Monday to explain his intentions. It didn't matter to the fans, who, apparently, have neither forgotten nor forgiven the Texan, who became a two-time NBA blocks champ in Indiana.

"There is definitely a human element to this thing that people are just never going to be able to understand," Turner said. "I was here when I was 19 years old. I grew up here, it's all I've ever known. So to come back to a place where there's nothing but hate and boos, it's tough. I think there's plenty of people who are appreciative of what I've done for the city."

Turner finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five blocks on a night he went 3 for 7 from the field. His replacement in Indiana, Isaiah Jackson, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds — his highest single-game scoring total since January 2022.

But Giannis Antetokounmpo's buzzer-beating mid-range jumper at least allowed Turner to leave town a winner.

"I think it's all love at the end of the day," Turner said, referring to his former teammates. "There's plenty of guys that, you know, show love, too. But we're rivals now, you know what I mean? So, outside of basketball is one thing, but when it comes to between the lines, you know what it is now."

Agencies via Xinhua