Myles Turner pens touching Pacers tribute after departing for Bucks

Former 3-and-D Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner has written a tribute to his old team, with whom he spent his first 10 NBA seasons. 

The 29-year-old surprisingly departed Indiana right after a seven-game NBA Finals appearance. The Milwaukee Bucks waived All-Star point guard Damian Lillard to carve out cap space for Turner, inking the 6-foot-11 Texas product to a four-year, $108.9 million free agent contract.

The impact of the Bucks’ move is twofold: it helps Milwaukee upgrade from now-departed 3-and-D center Brook Lopez, and it hinders a loathed Central Division rival in the Pacers.

Now, Turner has taken to his Instagram account to pen a touching tribute to Indiana.

“It’s hard to put into words what the past 10 seasons and past 10 years of my life has meant to me,” Turner wrote. “From a teenager out of Bedford Texas to the MAN and player I am today, Indy has been home through it all. You watched me grow up — on and off the court. Just like you I put my hard hat on clocked in & clocked out every single day…”

Turner twice led the league in blocks. He was a critical contributor to several playoff teams, a valuable floor-spacing big who could also protect the rim. Indiana hasn’t managed to find a suitable replacement yet. 

Two-time All-NBA Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the first quarter of the NBA Finals’ seventh game, and has already been ruled out for the entirety of the 2025-26 season. So perhaps Indiana will be looking at this year as a bit of a reboot.

“Saying goodbye is never easy, especially so abruptly. Together, we’ve experienced the highest of highs and some of the toughest lows: from being a lottery team to [playoff] battles, injuries, the bubble, and now… a [Finals] run,” Turner said. “All of it, the good and the bad has shaped me into who I am today and those memories can never be taken from us.”

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