Myles Turner said Doc Rivers never fined Bucks for being late

TL;DR

Myles Turner revealed that under Doc Rivers, the Bucks never fined players for being late, leading to a lack of accountability. He noted that Giannis Antetokounmpo was among the most frequent offenders.

Key points

Myles Turner discussed player accountability under Doc Rivers
Players were never fined for tardiness with the Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo was cited as a frequent offender

Mentioned in this story

Myles TurnerGiannis AntetokounmpoDoc RiversBreanna Stewart

Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks forward Myles Turner, speaking on his Game Recognize Game podcast with WNBA star Breanna Stewart, said players were never held accountable for tardiness under former coach Doc Rivers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of the biggest culprits.

"Doc Rivers, he didn't fine anybody, ever" Turner said, when the topic of player fines came up. "Guys were late all the time, guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up, guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I've personally ever experienced. But every other team I've been on, guys got fined. There was a sense of order and a sense of understanding. You're late to the plane, [you get a] fine. You're late to treatment, fine. You're late to film, fine.

"If the plane took off at 2 o'clock, we weren't leaving until 4:30. I'm being so serious, bro. It was crazy. Guys were an hour late to the plane. It got to the point where I just knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off."

Stewart asked who Turner saw as the biggest offender.

"Giannis is gonna show up whenever he wants, really," Turner said. "I think that just came with the territory. And once I kind of saw what was going down I said, 'Hey, man, more power to you. They ain't going to fine you. Do what you do.'"

Antetokounmpo has had some veteran leverage in this department for several years, and this was Turner's first year with the Bucks after spending a decade in Indiana.

Rivers also said in an April podcast that he didn't hold players accountable for being late.

The Hall of Fame coach joined The Bill Simmons Podcast, and when Simmons asked Rivers what he could have done better during the season, Rivers said, “I thought one of the things that I’ve always been known for is holding everyone accountable for everything, being on time. And I thought I was very lax on that this year. There’s reasons for that I can’t get into, but it bothered me that I wasn’t.'"

Turner and Stewart also discussed officiating, with Turner saying Antetokounmpo "plays the game very pure" and doesn't get an appropriate measure of foul calls that he deserves because he doesn't flop.

Q&A

Why did Myles Turner say players weren't fined for tardiness under Doc Rivers?

Myles Turner stated that Doc Rivers never fined players for being late, which resulted in a chaotic environment where players frequently missed meetings and showed up late.

Who did Myles Turner identify as the biggest offender of tardiness on the Bucks?

Myles Turner mentioned Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of the biggest culprits for being late during Doc Rivers' coaching tenure.

What consequences did Myles Turner experience for tardiness on other teams?

Turner noted that on other teams he played for, players were fined for tardiness, creating a sense of order and accountability that was missing with the Bucks under Rivers.