Former Indiana Pacers Myles Turner is making his first return trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse after signing with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason.
The vocal majority were not welcoming to Turner, but fans at Gainbridge had a more mixed opinion on his return.
Clark Conway, 39
“I’m excited to see him play. He took us to the finals. He’s been a part of our franchise for the longest time. I think he’s, what, the second-longest tenured Pacer ever? So, I’m here to celebrate the success in Indianapolis.
“I’m cheering. … I’ve been here for the past decade watching him play, so it’s hard to see him not in a Pacer uniform. He brought us a lot of happiness, a lot of years of success, so I’m here to root him on.
Michael Florence, 65
“I’m glad he’s coming back. I’m unhappy he’s coming back as an opposing player, because he’s still my guy, I’m wearing his jersey. I hope it works out well for him in Milwaukee. Hopefully not too well, so he’ll come back here. But I’m not going to boo him. That’s bush league. I’m not going to do that.
“He said some things and reportedly said some things that are controversial about the team and about (Tyrese) Haliburton and some other people, but that’s water in the bridge. Let’s just play basketball, you know?”
Chantal Hacker, 28
“I’m cheering. … I am upset, but I’m kind of not surprised at the same time. I figured he would go where the more money was at, but at the end of the day, you know, 10 years. I was here for his rookie year and all the way up. So, I’ll cheer for him. But I hope the Pacers still win.
“I think there’s so much animosity because of how he left and how he posts things. Like, it’s kind of cryptic. You say it’s not towards the fans, but it kind of looks like it’s toward the fans. But I think it’s also because he went to the Bucks. I get it, at the end of the day, money’s a factor, you have to do what’s best for you. I just wish it wasn’t the Bucks.”
Alex Abell, 23
“He was all strong about loyalty, but he left for a team we didn’t like. The record came out that (the Pacers) were going to pay him, but he declined it and got the money from the Bucks. … As long it wasn’t the Knicks or the Bucks, but he went to one of those two teams, so I can’t support him. I’m going to be booing; I won’t be clapping.”
Keyia Parker, 23
“I’m going to cheer loud and proud. I’m happy for him because he deserved to get paid more. Somebody else said, ‘Here’s your dough, take it.’ He said, ‘Absolutely,’ and he left. … He was here for 10 years. We had players in and out, we didn’t make it to the playoffs. … He could’ve left, that’s loyal to me, because I would’ve left.
“Booing him is wrong. If I work for Adidas for $80k and I can get $100k from Nike doing the same job, I’m going to Nike.”
Chilnille Milbrooks, 49
“He doesn’t need to play for an organization that tried to trade him every year. He tried to give his loyalty to (the Pacers) but they weren’t loyal to him.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What Pacers fans think about Myles Turner on his return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Reporting by Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
