Myles Turner takes a breath during a break in play during the Indiana Pacers’ 2025 season. Photo by Clay Maxfield
I BELIEVE IN second chances when merited. On December 23, Indianapolis will get a second chance, an opportunity to atone for the way our home crowd treated a former Indiana Pacers great.
On November 3, Myles Turner came to Indy in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform and was roundly booed and jeered by Pacers’ fans. Undeservedly so, in my opinion.
Turner played 10 years for the Pacers. He was a first-round, No. 11 overall pick from Texas. Arriving as a 19-year-old, he had grown up in Indy and was part of the city’s fiber. A pivotal component of last season’s NBA Finals run, Turner was heckled by the very people who cheered so loudly when he blocked a shot or drained a top-of-the-key three during the playoffs.
I was seated in Market Square Arena watching the 1987 NBA draft when Indiana selected a tall, skinny guard from UCLA, Reggie Miller, with the 11th overall pick, instead of hometown favorite and Indiana University legend Steve Alford. I laughed when the assembled crowd loudly booed the front office for making that selection.
Alford was talented enough to carry Indiana to an NCAA championship, with his sniper-like shooting, leadership, and endless movement on offense. He was a great college player. But I knew his style of play, aka Bob Knight’s style, didn’t mesh with the run-and-shoot NBA style. Slow and methodical was not how the league played.
As it turned out, that draft 11th pick in 1987, as unpopular as it was, became the best move the Pacers’ organization ever made. Miller excelled on the court and won over this city during his entire 18-year career. He led the team to the 2000 NBA Finals only to lose in six games. All in all, Miller helped put the Circle City on the map.
Alford, the 26th overall pick in the 1987 draft, played for Dallas and Golden State. Following his four years in the NBA, the New Castle native turned into a very successful college basketball coach for 30 years and counting, which has suited him far better than his playing days did.
In July, Turner was expected to remain a Pacer but when the organization offered a contract that was insulting for someone I believe was a key franchise player, it was evident the team was ready to move on. I thought his re-signing was a done deal and was shocked by the trade news when it came out. In my opinion, that trade ripped part of the heart and soul from the hometown team.
Turner left with pockets stuffed with cash, and deservedly so. Money aside, the Pacers should have ponied up and kept the longest tenured player on the roster instead of cutting loose a key part of those teams. Turner’s issues were with management, not the city or its fans. Then to return in another uniform and get booed? He may have felt very betrayed by this treatment.
Looking at how this injury-plagued season is transpiring, the Pacers could really use Turner’s talents. Had a contract been signed, Turner, like Miller before, may have spent his whole career playing for the blue and gold, which would have been fine by me. Milwaukee returns to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 23, and I hope fans have a more civil reaction to him upon this return.