Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered an impassioned defense of his teammate Myles Turner after Pacers' fans booed Turner upon his return to Indianapolis.
One of the least surprising outcomes from the Milwaukee Bucks’ thrilling 115-113 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday was the fact that Bucks center Myles Turner was booed relentlessly by the Indiana faithful in his initial return to Indianapolis since leaving the organization for Milwaukee this offseason after the team fell a game short of an NBA championship.
Turner began the game by motioning the closing of a book, putting a symbolic end to that chapter of his career. The Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers fought hard and nearly earned their second win of the season, but Giannis Antetokounmpo bailed the Bucks out and called game like Paul Pierce with a turnaround fadeaway buzzer beater that went through the net for the win.
After the game, however, Giannis took a chance to defend his new teammate Turner, over what he perceived as unfair treatment from the Indiana fan base. Despite the fact that Turner left for one of, if not the Pacers’ biggest rival, Antetokounmpo felt that his memorable decade-long run with the organization shouldn’t be overshadowed by his exit.
“I'm just going to say this for Myles, because maybe he didn't say it for himself,” Giannis said. “The average lifespan of an NBA player is 4.5 years. He played 10 years with one franchise. To come here to Indiana, as the all-time leading block leader, to be booed. He might not say it, it hurts, but we’re here to pick him up and tell him how much we love and respect him.”
Turner averaged 2.2 blocks per game across his 10 seasons there, leading the league in blocks twice.
“We understand how much he gave for the team, for Indiana, and how much he's willing to give for Milwaukee. He's a great, great person, great character, great competitor. I played against him for 10 years. He gave everything he had, blood, sweat, tears, his body, many times. Booing the Bucs? Okay, boo the Bucks. But booing Miles Turner? Just think about yourself.”
Giannis continued his impassioned defense of his teammate by comparing being an NBA player to any other line of employment, even questioning how some of those fans would feel if they were given the kind of reception Turner was if they were to show up to a former place of employment.
“Put yourself in that position, working in your job for 10 years, and all of a sudden you decide to make a move for your family and for yourself, because you have different goals, different aspirations for life,” Giannis continued. “And then you go back and your co-workers and your boss is yelling at you and booing you. You're kind of like, ‘Man, what the hell?’”
“I know it's sports, I understand, but sometimes it's bigger than sports. I don't know if he's going to say it, but he's going to go back home and he's going to be like, ‘Ok, 10 years just went down the drain.’ And that's not fair for anybody that gave 10 years to the game and 10 years for the Pacers.”
The two sides will meet again on December 23rd, with the game returning to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse yet again.