Chaos. That’s probably the only way to explain last night’s matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks. That’s because what was supposed to be a warm homecoming for new Bucks center Myles Turner quickly turned sour. Every time Turner stepped on the court or touched the ball, he was met with boos from the crowd present inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Of course, it wasn’t something that he expected, especially after playing each of his first 10 seasons in the league with Indiana. In fact, even Rick Carlisle didn’t expect this. 

That’s because after the game, when Pacers HC Rick Carlisle was asked about whether he was surprised by the crowd relentlessly booing Turner, he said, “I don’t know. I guess not. If you look at everything that has transpired over whatever the period of time is, a lot of things, I guess, have been said. I’m not on those social media channels in large part, but you hear things, and so divorce is difficult; it just is. I will say that I always supported Myles, completely, and I always admired the man that he was when he was a member of the Indiana Pacers.“

“He’s from a great family, and all that. And sometimes these things are difficult, but I harbour no ill feelings toward Myles as a person. It would have been good if some of the things said were not said. And I don’t want to get into all that, but some of the stuff going after your teammates unnecessarily didn’t make any sense, with the kind of character that he’s demonstrated here. So it was tough. I was not expecting that extreme a reaction, but on the one hand, on the other hand, things happen.” Carlisle further elaborated.

Although Rick Carlisle suggested that he was expecting some poor reactions from the crowd on Myles Turner’s homecoming, he could grasp the real extent of the situation. Nonetheless, he did point out that he’ll always support the former Pacers star no matter what, and whatever happened last was nothing personal. However, even though this hostile environment did not seem to affect Carlisle, that wasn’t necessarily the case with Myles Turner. That’s because the Milwaukee center had a terrible night on the court.

The 29-year-old scored just 9 points in 32 minutes of action while shooting 3-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-6 from the three-point line. But despite having a terrible night, it was the big man who had the last laugh, as his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo not only hit a buzzer-beater to win the game, but also extended his support to his new teammate through his unusual gestures. Still, even a 117-115 win could help raise Turner’s morale as he expressed his feelings after the game.

Myles Turner makes a painful admission after his rough homecoming

There’s no doubt that Myles Turner was not expecting such a hostile welcome from Indiana Pacers fans on his return. So, all that booing not only affected his game as he had a terrible outing, but it also took a toll on him mentally. Despite his team winning the game in the last second, thanks to a clutch shot by his teammate and Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Turner did not seem happy after the final whistle. On the contrary, the former Indy center was visibly upset.

This was later confirmed through his postgame interview, as Turner truly expressed how he felt about his homecoming game. “It was disheartening, man. It was frustrating,” he told the reporters. “You give 10 years of your life, your blood, your sweat, your tears. You take pay cuts, you survive trade rumors, you try to do everything the right way. Sometimes that’s how stuff shakes out. It’s cool. I take it on the chin. I think a lot of people say I said things, but I think a lot of people want to formulate their own narratives and spin it to whatever they want it to be. It is what it is. Like I said, you take it on the chin and you move on.”

By the looks of it, all the booing and heckling seemed to have gotten to him. And you cannot even blame him, after all, he gave the city of Indianapolis his all, after being drafted by the team in the 2015 NBA Draft. In fact, he was a core member of the team alongside Tyrese Haliburton, as they made a miraculous run to the NBA Finals. However, at the end of the season, when everyone was expecting him to re-sign, the center inked a four-year $107 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Was he wrong for doing so? That remains debatable.