New city, new jersey, same old NBA drama. Post-breakup barbs have become a league ritual, a pattern seen when James Harden publicly blasted the 76ers’ brass, Kyrie Irving took shots back at Boston, and even Paul George’s messy Pacers exit sparked long memories. This week, it looked like Milwaukee’s Myles Turner was the latest entry in that genre, until he hit pause and set the record straight.
What Did Myles Turner Really Say About His Former Teammate?
On a recent episode of the “Thanalysis Show” podcast, Turner was asked to name three things he admires most about Tyrese Haliburton. He started where you would expect, praising Haliburton’s team-first mindset and the way he keeps his family at the forefront. Then, Turner broadened the lens to today’s “beef culture” in the NBA, explaining how on-court dustups are part of the competition, and how that heat should stay on the floor.
“I can see that, bro. I just feel like one, Tyrese also, he knows he’s protected, too. So, he can go out there, talk his sh**, say whatever the hell he wants to do, and then, you know, he knows he has backup at the end of the day,” said Turner during the podcast. “Now, he’s not going to be talking the same sh** if you’re in the middle of the street or whatever the f**k, that’s what guys are doing.”
The internet did what the internet does best. Fans clipped, cropped, and reframed that part of the conversation. Before long, a storyline was spun that painted Haliburton as a fake tough guy, with fans insisting Turner had just taken a public shot at his former backcourt partner. As the snippets went viral, the narrative snowballed into “Turner calls out Haliburton.”
That’s when Turner himself stepped in. He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to clarify that he harbors no animosity toward his former teammate and that a false storyline had been stitched together from selective edits and out-of-context quotes.
“Man I Know It’s Fun To Hate Me Rn Because Of The Rivalry And Allat But Dont Let This Clip Farming Culture Get To Yall Head Me And @Hali Went To War Together For 3 Years And He Did Nun But Elevate My Career Dead This False Narrative Immediately It’s All Love On My Side,” wrote Turner on his X account.
Man I Know It’s Fun To Hate Me Rn Because Of The Rivalry And Allat But Dont Let This Clip Farming Culture Get To Yall Head Me And @Hali Went To War Together For 3 Years And He Did Nun But Elevate My Career Dead This False Narrative Immediately It’s All Love On My Side https://t.co/P37FSE2DfJ
— Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) October 31, 2025
Turner’s decision to clear the air tracks with their shared history. Drafted No. 11 overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2015, Turner became a franchise pillar, anchoring the defense and stretching the floor for years. When Haliburton arrived in 2022 via a blockbuster trade from the Sacramento Kings, a deal that moved Domantas Sabonis, he instantly elevated Indiana’s playmaking.
Together, they built a seamless pick-and-roll rhythm across roughly 178 regular-season games, blending Haliburton’s tempo control with Turner’s rim protection and pick-and-pop threat. Their chemistry crystallized on the biggest stage. In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Haliburton shook off a jittery first half and buried a 20-foot dagger with 0.3 seconds left, swiping home-court advantage for the Pacers.
Turner, never shy about giving credit, lauded the moment. “Ultimate confidence in himself. Some players will say they have it, but there are other players that show it… He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from that moment.”
This past summer, however, Turner turned the page on his Indiana career. In July, he signed a four-year, $108.9 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, closing a decade-long Pacers chapter that culminated in that Finals run. Milwaukee, having waived Damian Lillard to unlock financial flexibility, targeted Turner as the ideal rim-protecting, floor-spacing partner for Giannis Antetokounmpo in Doc Rivers’ scheme.
Early returns in the 2025-26 season show a smooth fit. So far, Turner has averaged 10.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, three assists, and 2.2 blocks per game while sliding into the Bucks’ high-octane flow without forcing his offense.
In the end, the so-called “viral diss” wasn’t a diss at all. It was simply a reminder that in today’s media landscape, not every clipped quote is a cannon shot.
