When the topic of the ball came up — yes, that ball from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 64-point night — Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner couldn’t help but laugh.
What started as a trip down memory lane quickly turned into a brutally honest conversation about NBA “fake beefs,” real toughness and why Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton might be the league’s most lovable villain.
Turner, in his first season with the Bucks after signing a four-year $109 million deal in free agency this summer, joined teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo on his “Thanalysis Show” podcast for a wide-ranging conversation.
Forty-two minutes into the hour-and-24-minute episode, Antetokounmpo shifted the conversation to the infamous postgame fracas between the Bucks and Pacers on Dec. 13, 2023 — the night his brother, Giannis, scored a career-high 64 points and refused to go home without the game ball.
“That was so funny to me,” said Turner, then with the Pacers. “Y’all had the ball the whole time. That was the craziest part about it.”
The story served as a springboard for a broader discussion about NBA rivalries, performative toughness and why Haliburton can be both charming and infuriating to opponents. When Antetokounmpo asked whether the league feels a bit like WWE — full of “fake beefs” — Turner didn’t hold back.
“Do you see all these cameras right here, bro,” Turner said, gesturing around the podcast studio. “At the end of the day, bro, that’s what it’s all about. Guys have egos. Guys have brands. Guys have stuff they want to protect. Some guys got to be the tough guy. Then you go outside and see them on the courts, and it’s, ‘Hey man, how’s it going?’ That’s how it is, bro, for real. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some guys who are really ’bout it. But it’s very few. It’s maybe 5 percent of this league — smaller than that — that’s really going to do something. One, no one’s throwing a punch in an NBA game. You do that, you know you’re suspended. You know you’re fined. No one wants to pay that bread.”
Antetokounmpo then asked for Turner’s thoughts on Haliburton, his teammate for 3 1/2 seasons in Indiana. Turner smiled and called Haliburton a troll and a heel, roles he said Haliburton embraces, but also ones shaped by public perception.
“Tyrese also knows he’s protected, too,” Turner said. “So, he can go out there, talk his s—, say whatever the hell he wants to do, and he knows he has backup at the end of the day. Now, he’s not going to be talking the same s— if you’re in the middle of the street. That’s what guys don’t do in this league.”
Full context: pic.twitter.com/KsMvcqDwsJ
— Thanalysis Show (@ThanalysisShow) October 31, 2025
As the conversation turned to Haliburton, Antetokounmpo challenged Turner to say three nice things about his former All-Star point guard. Turner praised Haliburton’s professionalism, his qualities as a teammate and his devotion to his family.
“He’s a helluva teammate, bro,” Turner said. “You know how we talk about how you’re supposed to, as a team, come together? That camaraderie? Bro, he’s setting up all the team dinners. He’s setting up all the team parties. He wants people to, like, be together. He definitely embodies that.”
Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, sustained a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and will miss the 2025-26 season.
“I’m rooting for him for special reasons,” Antetokounmpo said. “We had the same injury. I just want him to come back and be healthy and be on the court, man.”
Turner spent his first 10 seasons with the Pacers. He’ll return to Indiana for the first time as a visiting player when the Bucks face the Pacers on Monday.
