Did you know that New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner have a podcast together? Well, now do you do. On the recent episode of their show, “Game Recognize Game,” Turner revealed some interesting behind-the-scenes intel about the Bucks’ dysfunction last season, and specifically called out Doc Rivers and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
During a rapid-fire questions segment, Stewart brought up new Liberty coach Chris DeMarco’s fine system, which includes $25 penalties for missed free-throw box outs, and asked Turner if NBA players get fined a lot. Turner reported that former Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who has since been replaced by Taylor Jenkins, would not issue fines, which caused the team to lose discipline.
We’ll pick the segment up there:
Turner: Well, it depends on the coach. Doc Rivers, he didn’t fine anybody, ever. Guys were late all the time, guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up, guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I’ve personally ever experienced. But any other team I’ve been on, guys got fined, and there was a sense of order and a sense of understanding. 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.
Stewart: So who’s the teammate that’s most likely to be late? Well, all of yours, obviously, because nobody gets fined.
Turner: Bro, we literally — if the plane took off 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving until 4:30. I’m being so serious bro. It was crazy. Guys were hours late to the plane. It got to the point where I just knew not to show up until like an hour after they reported the plane was taking off. It was crazy. But that’s easy: Giannis. Giannis is gonna show up whenever he wants really, you know? I think that it kinda just came with the territory. and once I saw what was going down, I was like ‘Hey man, more power to you. They ain’t gonna fine you. Do what you do.’
Rivers’ Laissez-faire approach caused dysfunction
The Bucks were a disaster last season. Antetokounmpo’s injuries — he played a career-low 36 games due to various ailments, including multiple calf strains — were the main reason why the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and the constant trade rumors didn’t help. But even so, the team underperformed relative to its overall talent. They weren’t a contender, but there was no reason they should have been under .500 when Antetokounmpo was healthy (17-19) or finished with the 10th-worst record in the league.
Turner’s comments about the team’s dysfunction behind the scenes seem to help explain why the on-court product was so bad.
There was clearly a disconnect between the players and Rivers. Players are regularly skipping meetings and showing up late to film, and then never being held accountable? That carelessness is naturally going to filter into the games, and the Bucks were 26th in defensive rating (118.3) and 25th in turnover rate (15.4%).
This is the first time we’ve heard these specific anecdotes, but it’s not the first time we’ve heard about the bad vibes in Milwaukee last season. “This is as toxic of a team situation as any in the league,” a source told ESPN earlier this year.
A shot at Antetokounmpo on his way out?
There has hardly been a bad word uttered about Antetokounmpo over his 13-year tenure with the Bucks, so it was particularly notable to hear Turner publicly call him out over his tardiness. It’s also hard to imagine Turner saying that about someone he was going to be playing with again next season, which only lends more credence to the idea that Antetokounmpo is getting traded this summer.
Earlier this month, during Jenkins’ introductory press conference, Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam indicated that a decision on Antetokounmpo’s future will be made before the 2026 NBA Draft in late June.
Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam puts a clock on Giannis Antetokounmpo decision: ‘We understand the gravity’
Jasmyn Wimbish
“Giannis has brought Milwaukee its second championship and first in 50 years. He’s a phenomenal player, he’s a phenomenal person, he’s arguably one of the best basketball players in the world,” Haslam reported. “We will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization. We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
Jon (Horst) and Taylor (Jenkins), along with (Bucks co-owner) Wes (Edens) and myself, will make that call,” Haslam continued, “and we understand the gravity of that call.”
The Bucks are reportedly “open for business” on trade calls for Antetokounmpo and will be seeking a major return of a “young blue-chip talent and/or a surplus of draft picks.”
