It certainly sounds like Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner isn’t all that bummed that head coach Doc Rivers stepped down from that role earlier this spring.
As shared by ESPN, Turner claimed during the latest edition of the “Game Recognize Game” podcast that Rivers “didn’t fine anybody” for showing up late to film sessions, meetings, and other required get-togethers after Turner signed a four-year, $108.9M contract to join the Bucks last offseason. Turner also suggested that superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was able “to show up whenever he wants” during the campaign.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had no rules under Doc Rivers?
“I think that this kind of just came with the territory that — and once I saw what was going down, I was like, ‘Hey man, more power to you. They ain’t going to fine you. S—, do what you do,'” Turner said about Antetokounmpo’s antics.
Antetokounmpo reportedly requested a trade before the 2025-26 season got underway, and he later blasted teammates this past January for “not playing hard” and for “being selfish.” Milwaukee finished the campaign with a record of 32-50, and many believe the Bucks will trade Antetokounmpo to the team of his choosing this coming summer.
“It was crazy, dawg,” Turner said about what he experienced during his first season with the Bucks. “Guys were an hour late to the plane. It got to the point where I knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off. It was crazy.”
Myles Turner challenges new coach Taylor Jenkins following Bucks’ Doc Rivers era
In late April, the Bucks finalized a deal to hire former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins as Rivers’ replacement. Per ESPN, Jenkins is the winningest coach in Grizzlies history with a 250-214 record from the fall of 2019 through March 2025.
“Any other team I’ve been on, guys got fined. And there was a sense of order and a sense of understanding,” Turner added during the podcast. “So yeah, you’re late to the plane? Fine. You’re late to treatment? Fine. You’re late to film? Fine. But I personally did not experience that last year for the first time in my career. So we’ll see what Taylor Jenkins does, our new coach.”
Barring a surprising development, it seems like Jenkins won’t have to worry about keeping Antetokounmpo happy once the Bucks get back together for preseason training sessions.