Myles Turner’s post-Pacers era continues to be laced with subtle jabs and sharp undertones. The latest came after the Milwaukee Bucks’ 126–110 NBA Cup win over the Chicago Bulls, when Turner was asked about the Bucks’ bright green tournament court, and his response immediately went viral.
“Umm, I’m not mad at it. It looks a lot better than yellow.”
It was a harmless question, but the answer landed like a dart in Indianapolis. For anyone who’s followed Turner’s rocky departure from the Indiana Pacers, the ‘yellow’ remark was unmistakably a shot at his former team referencing Indiana’s heavily criticized yellow NBA Cup floor design. Fans and media instantly caught the shade, flooding social media with reactions that ranged from laughter to outrage.
The Bucks center had every reason to be in a good mood. Turner turned in his best game yet in a Milwaukee uniform, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four steals on an efficient 8-for-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Turner looked fully integrated, stretching the floor and protecting the rim, exactly what the Bucks envisioned when they signed him to a four-year, $107 million deal this summer.
Giannis, meanwhile, was his usual dominant self, racking up 41 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, including a 19-point fourth quarter that buried the Bulls. The win snapped Milwaukee’s two-game skid and kicked off its NBA Cup group play with authority.
But even after a strong performance, Turner’s comment about the court overshadowed the postgame talk. It wasn’t his first dig at Indiana and likely won’t be his last.
Just a few days earlier, Turner had a tense return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for his first game back in Indianapolis since leaving in free agency. The Pacers played a tribute video celebrating his 10 seasons with the franchise, but the crowd’s response was anything but warm. He was booed heavily throughout the night, prompting him to mime closing a book and sarcastically wave at the fans. He later fired back online, writing:
“Ten years of blood, sweat, sacrifice, and constantly taking disdain on the chin. I guess growth isn’t always applauded. Sometimes it’s booed.”
Turner also admitted afterward that the reception hurt and felt disheartening, saying he had given his ‘heart and soul’ to Indiana only to feel disrespected in return. Yet, ever since his departure, he’s continued to take small, barbed shots from implying Milwaukee celebrates him more, to joking about Indiana’s aesthetics.
To many Pacers fans, the court comment was just another layer of pettiness. To others, it was a playful jab from a player who clearly hasn’t forgotten how his decade-long tenure ended.
His old teammates didn’t appear to share the bitterness, though. After that emotional night in Indiana, Turner was seen embracing several Pacers players, including Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. But that goodwill didn’t extend to the fanbase.
Still, Turner isn’t entirely the villain here. Giannis Antetokounmpo recently defended him, saying:
“He gave Indiana 10 years of service, man. Blood, sweat, and tears. To be booed like that? That’s not fair.”
For now, Turner’s relationship with the Pacers remains frosty, and his comments only add to the tension ahead of their next meeting on December 23, when the Bucks return to Indianapolis. Expect another chorus of boos and perhaps, if history holds, another sly one-liner from Turner himself.
In the end, it’s classic Myles Turner, talented, outspoken, and unafraid to stir the pot. And whether Pacers fans like it or not, he’s making sure his next chapter in Milwaukee shines a little brighter than yellow.
