Myles Turner says Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks players were regularly late without consequences

Myles Turner recently opened up about a surprising lack of accountability within the Milwaukee Bucks locker room during his time as a teammate to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The veteran center described a culture where scheduled times were treated as mere suggestions, highlighting a significant disconnect between the coaching staff’s expectations and the players’ daily actions during a disappointing season.

The declarations from Turner paint a picture of an organization struggling to maintain basic professional standards under its current leadership. “Doc Rivers, he didn’t fine anybody. Guys were late, guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things that I’ve personally experienced,” Turner revealed on a recent Game Recognize Game episode.

Turner further explained that the lack of discipline forced him to adjust his own schedule just to avoid wasting time waiting for others. “It got to the point where I just knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off… Giannis is gonna show up whenever he wants,” he added, emphasizing that the star’s behavior set a difficult precedent for the rest of the roster.

Fines for arriving late to meetings

Doc Rivers’ relaxed attitude toward discipline has raised questions about whether such a permissive environment can ever lead to a championship-caliber team. When superstars like Antetokounmpo are allowed to operate without consequences, it often erodes the mutual respect required for a cohesive unit, especially when veteran players are used to the strict structures found in other successful NBA franchises.

In most professional organizations, the cost of being tardy is quite steep to ensure every player remains focused on the collective goal. NBA teams typically levy fines ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 for a first offense of being late to a meeting or practice, with those amounts doubling or tripling for subsequent infractions or missed team flights.

For a team that finished the 2026 season with a 32-50 record, the absence of these financial deterrents may have contributed to their overall collapse on the court. Without the threat of being fined, players often lose the sense of urgency needed to compete at the highest level, leaving the organization in a “dumpster fire” state that ultimately led to Rivers’ departure from the bench.