Tyler Herro is officially back in Milwaukee. Wisconsin Badger fans are officially in their feelings.
During his introductory chat with NBA insider Chris Haynes at Summer League, Herro decided to lean into the Kentucky-over-Wisconsin decision that got him to the NBA in the first place. He decommitted from the Badgers back in 2018 to play for John Calipari, and he explained why he does not regret it.
“I mean, I can keep it simple as if I didn’t decommit, I probably wouldn’t be on the Bucks right now,” Herro said. “So I had to make a business decision at the time to go to Kentucky, play for Coach Calipari, and now you see where we’re at with it now. So I’m excited to be home. Leave that in the past. I’m representing the city.”
Simple statement. Reasonable point. Wisconsin fans lost their minds anyway.
One Badger fan wished for Herro’s knee to implode. Another said the state of Wisconsin does not claim him. Multiple accounts called it disrespectful. Coach Greg Gard did not comment publicly, but you have to imagine there is a group text at the UW basketball offices with some choice reactions.
Here is the thing. Herro is right. He is not the first player to point out that Kentucky’s pipeline to the NBA is different from Wisconsin’s, and he will not be the last. Calipari sent Herro to Miami as the 13th overall pick in 2019. That is not a small thing. Wisconsin has produced quality NBA players over the years, but Kentucky is a different tier when it comes to first-round development and exposure.
The Badgers have every reason to be proud of their program. Bo Ryan built a fortress in Madison. Ethan Happ, Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker all left with degrees and lasting legacies. But the honest answer is that Kentucky in 2018 was the more direct NBA path, and Herro made the right call for his career.
What he did not need to say out loud, in his very first interview back home, was that decision would still hold up today. That is where he ran into trouble. Wisconsin fans are proud, protective and a little sensitive about their guys leaving the state. Herro just poked all three at once.
It is worth remembering how we got here. The Bucks acquired Herro in the massive Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Miami. Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a small mountain of draft picks went to Milwaukee. Giannis went to Miami. The entire NBA landscape shifted.
Herro walks into a Bucks team that is now his to lead alongside Bobby Portis. Milwaukee is not a title contender in the wake of the trade. They are in a soft rebuild, letting Herro be a scoring focal point in the market he grew up in. That is a beautiful basketball story on paper.
The Wisconsin drama does not really matter. In three years, when Herro drops 35 in a home game against the Bulls, Badger fans will forget the interview and cheer for their guy. Sports are like that. Grudges last until winning takes over.
What Herro really has to worry about is not the Badgers. It is figuring out how to lead a rebuilding Bucks team through a Central Division that just got Anthony Richardson locked into Indianapolis and might get Cleveland getting a full season of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Tyler Herro is home. The Badgers are cranky. Life goes on.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
