Giannis Antetokounmpo defended Milwaukee Bucks team-mate Myles Turner after he received boos from fans of his former team, the Indiana Pacers.

Turner played for the Pacers for 10 years before being traded to the Bucks after Indiana’s NBA Finals defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The soured relationship between Turner and the Pacers fans was on display when the two Eastern Conference rivals met on Monday, with the home fans jeering during a tribute video for the center ahead of the game.

Turner eventually had the last laugh as Antetokounmpo scored a buzzer-beater winner with a turnaround, fadeaway jumper, seeing the Bucks prevail 117-115.

The Greek forward finished the contest with 33 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while he is also averaging the most points per game of any player through the first two weeks of the current season (34.2).

As much as the Bucks wanted to get one over their rivals, Antetokounmpo felt the win was necessary for Turner.

“He [Turner] might not say it, but it kind of hurt,” said Antetokounmpo.

“But we are here to pick him up, tell him how much we love him and respect him. We understand how much he gave for the team, for Indiana, and how much he's willing to give for Milwaukee.

“He's a great, great person, great character, a great competitor. I played against him for 10 years. I think he gave everything.”

"We were not going to let one guy lose tonight."

This win was for Myles. pic.twitter.com/WgzBcEgRRt

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 4, 2025

Turner marked his return to Indiana with nine points, seven rebounds and five blocks, but the 29-year-old was disappointed with how the fans reacted on Monday.

“It was disheartening, man. It was frustrating,” Turner said after the game.

“You give 10 years of your life, your blood, your sweat, your tears. You take pay cuts. You survive trade rumors. You try to do everything the right way, and then sometimes stuff shakes out. It is cool. I take it on the chin.

“The guys told me a couple days ago before this even started, 'We got you. We got you.'

“There's obviously a big rivalry between these two teams, and I wasn't the only reason they wanted to win the game, but a big reason.”