Myles Turner says Doc Rivers ‘didn’t fine anybody’ this season despite repeated tardiness, Giannis Antetokounmpo was most likely Bucks player to be late

Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner revealed on his podcast with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart that now-former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers “didn’t fine anybody ever” this past season, and that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was his teammate who was most likely to be late for team events.

“Guys were late all the time,” Turner told Stewart on a new episode of “Game Recognize Game” that was released on Thursday. “Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I personally ever experienced.

Turner, who previously played 10 seasons for the Indiana Pacers, went on: “Any other team I’ve been on, guys got fined. And there was a sense of order and a sense of understanding. 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.”

Jenkins, who was surprisingly fired by the Memphis Grizzlies with nine games left in the 2024-25 season, is Rivers’ replacement. Rivers stepped down from his post as the Bucks’ head coach last month after a turbulent 2025-26 campaign, in which injury and trade drama surrounding Antetokounmpo dominated headlines as Milwaukee won only 32 games and missed the postseason for the first time in 10 years.

Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August. After playing 13 years in the NBA, the one-time All-Star point guard’s run as a head coach in the league began in 1999 with the Orlando Magic.

He coached the Magic from 1999-2003; the Boston Celtics from 2004-13 — famously leading the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to an NBA title in 2008 — the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013-20, including during the “Lob City” era; the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-23; and then the Bucks from 2024-26, a disappointing stint that started with him taking over for Adrian Griffin midway through the 2023-24 campaign.

Last year, Rivers, who has recently all but closed the door on his coaching career, seemingly lost control in Milwaukee, where there was reported organizational disconnect. ESPN’s Shams Charania outlined that fissure in an April 7 report, which detailed players detached from leadership and Antetokounmpo’s frustration with an organization he lifted to an NBA title in 2021.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time league MVP and 10-time All-Star, feuded with the Bucks over his health. Milwaukee reportedly wanted to shut the injury-plagued Greek native for the season. Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, made it clear he wanted to keep playing.

Back in March, when the NBA Players Association criticized the Bucks for sitting Antetokounmpo and accused the team of anti-competitive behavior, Rivers said that Antetokounmpo was simply “not healthy.”

The NBA investigated the matter and determined earlier this month that no further action is warranted, per Charania. But that doesn’t change the fact that Antetokounmpo’s days appear numbered in Milwaukee. The Bucks are reportedly listening to trade offers for him leading up to this year’s NBA Draft. Plus, co-owner Jimmy Haslam shared that Milwaukee gave Jenkins a heads up in the hiring process that Antetokounmpo “may or may not be with us.”

Antetokounmpo reportedly had one foot in and one foot out this season with the Bucks. That comes to mind when listening to Turner’s podcast comments.

“If the plane took off at 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving till 4:30,” said Turner, who left the Pacers last offseason to sign a four-year deal worth more than $100 million with Milwaukee after it waived Damian Lillard.

Turner continued: “I’m being so serious, bro. It was crazy, dawg. 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.”

When Stewart asked Turner which teammate was most likely to be late, he didn’t have to do much thinking.

“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “Giannis. Giannis is going to show up whenever he wants, really. I think that this kind of just came with the territory that — and once I saw it was going down, I was like, ‘Hey man, s*** more power to you. They ain’t going to fine you. S***, do what you do.’

Turner, a Bedford, Texas, native who played for the Longhorns in college, noted: “Except when we’re going to Dallas. That’s when I was like, ‘Aright, come on.’“