Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Defended After Myles Turner Controversy

May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts with center Myles Turner (33) after shooting a three point basket during the second quarter against the New York Knicks of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

It's safe to say that there is no shortage of bad blood between the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks.

As a rare player with experience on both sides of the rivalry, Bucks center Myles Turner — who spent 10 seasons with the Pacers until an eventful offseason led to his departure — provided interesting insight on several of the rivalry's recent skirmishes.

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Turner recently appeared on new teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo's podcast — aptly named "Thanalysis" — and detailed his complicated contract negotiations with the Pacers, which ultimately fell through and led him to sign with their division rival.

Turner also spoke on former teammate Tyrese Haliburton, who Bucks fans have grown to hate and Pacers fans have grown to love. The two-time All-Star is out for the season after suffering an Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Before the injury, Haliburton showed his flair for the dramatics, including his Reggie Miller-inspired "choke" celebration after the Pacers' late-game rally against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.

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Turner revealed that the Haliburton's tendancy to taunt is just a part of who the 25-year-old is as a competitor.

"That's just part of his personality, bro," Turner said on The Thanalysis Podcast.

'He's A Troll'

"First of all, he's a troll. He enjoys that type of stuff. He likes to be that little annoying — I think they call it a heel, right? He enjoys and embraces that role. Now, I do think at times he got pushed into that because of the perception, how people were talking about him and how he's had to carry himself, but he definitely embodies that, bro. He's going to be the annoying one in practice who's talking (expletive) and nanna-nanna-boo-boo type of (expletive.) That's just how he is."

So, wrote about Myles Turner on the Thanalysis podcast: https://t.co/SM06iJTGEl

— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) October 31, 2025

While Turner had plenty to say about Haliburton as a heel, he also showed love for his former teammate, who fought through adversity his rookie season after being traded from Sacramento to Indiana.

"First and foremost, bro, you have to respect the way he's handled himself in his career," Turner said. "Coming from Sacramento and coming from that situation. It's a heartbreaking thing when you think you're going to be the face of the franchise. Then you come to Indiana and damn near reinvent yourself, bro, through everything. His professionalism, the way he carries himself, you can't really (expletive) on that. That's what he's made himself to be. Two ... he's a hell of a teammate. You know how we talk about that as a team you're supposed to come together and have camaraderie. He's setting up all the team dinners. He's setting up all the team parties. He wants people to be together."

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.