Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo silenced Pacers fans on Monday night with a buzzer-beating game-winning shot to clinch the thrilling victory, but it was what he did after that may have attracted the most viral attention.
Immediately after Antetokounmpo sank the jumper to seal the 117-115 win, he was mobbed by his teammates as he swaggered back to the Bucks' bench. He then gave the Pacers fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse an emphatic thumbs-down in response to their not-very-classy boos toward former Indiana star Myles Turner earlier in the game. Antetokounmpo also put a finger to his lips and shushed the crowd, just for good measure.
Boo. 👎 pic.twitter.com/ysfAflG5AU
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 4, 2025
Here's video of his game-winning shot and celebration:
I mean this is the shot you want Giannis to take with the game on the line. Sometimes he's going to make it! I love the double thumbs down to the crowd too pic.twitter.com/D2kS6F4S8n
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) November 4, 2025
Monday's game marked Turner's return to Indiana after spending a decade with the Pacers. Turner walked away from the Pacers in free agency last offseason, agreeing to a four-year, $107 million deal with Milwaukee. The most the Pacers were willing to give Turner was reportedly $23 million a year, an offer that fell several million short of what he got from the Bucks.
While it's understandable whenever any sports team boos a former star player in his return, Antetokounmpo clearly wasn't having it. After his retaliation move directed at the Pacers' home crowd, he spoke about why it wasn't "fair" for Turner to have to deal with antagonism from his old team.
"He might not say it, but it kind of hurt," said Antetokounmpo, who finished the game with 33 points and 13 rebounds. "But we are here to pick him up, tell him how much we love him and respect him. We understand how much he gave for the team, for Indiana, and how much he's willing to give for Milwaukee.
"Anybody that was booing him... just think about yourself, put yourself in that position. Working your job for 10 years, and all of a sudden you decide to make a move for your family and yourself because you have different goals, different aspirations for life, and then you go back and your coworkers and boss are yelling at you and booing you. Man, like, 'What the hell?' I know it's sports, I understand, but sometimes it's bigger than sports."
#Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Myles Turner being booed in Indy:
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 4, 2025
“It is bigger than sport. … He’s gonna go back home and he’s gonna be like, ‘OK, 10 years just went down the drain.’ And that’s not fair for anybody that gave 10 years to the game and 10 years to the #Pacers.” pic.twitter.com/MXzoJW6fCB
Turner had a much sadder reaction to the boos, telling reporters, "It was disheartening, man. ... You give 10 years of your life, your blood, your sweat, your tears. You take pay cuts. You survive trade rumors. You try to do everything the right way, and then sometimes stuff shakes out."
Turner heard the wrath of the Pacers faithful even during his tribute video before the game, and the arena's scoreboard featured graphics that compared Turner to the Pacers' new center Isaiah Jackson, who ended up outplaying Turner with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
After the Bucks' win, though, Turner arguably got the last laugh, and he can rest easy knowing Antetokounmpo and his other teammates have his back—even if his former team's fans have turned theirs on him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giannis Antetokounmpo Had One-Finger Gesture for Pacers Fans Who Booed Myles Turner.
