Elston Howard Turner Sr. (born June 10, 1959) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who currently works as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA).

Playing career

A 6'5" (1.96 m)

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

–

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

, leading Ole Miss to its first ever NCAA Tournament in his senior year, Turner was selected in the second round (43rd overall) of the

1981 NBA draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA te ...

by the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

, and went on to play in eight

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

seasons from 1981 to 1989, for the Mavericks,

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

and the Chicago Bulls. He also coached and played in the CBA — as an assistant coach for the

Quad City Thunder The Quad City Thunder was a Continental Basketball Association franchise that was based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. They played in the CBA from the 1987–88 season until the CBA folded in 2001. The Thunder were successful on the co ...

and as a player–coach for the Chicago Rockers. He also played professionally in Europe.

Coaching career

Turner later moved to the NBA, with the Sacramento Kings (six years) and the Portland Trail Blazers (four). In 2007, he rejoined

Rick Adelman Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden ...

's staff at the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. In May 2008, Turner was interviewed twice for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

' head coaching position which had become vacant after Mike D'Antoni left. Ultimately, he was not hired. In July 2009, Turner was interviewed for the vacant Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching position. Turner, along with

Mark Jackson Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard from St. John's University, he played for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah ...

and

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

assistant

Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958) is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he won fou ...

, was one of three finalists vying for the job, but Rambis was the Wolves' ultimate choice. In May 2010, Turner was interviewed for both the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

' and the Chicago Bulls' vacant head coaching positions. They were eventually taken by Doug Collins and Tom Thibodeau, respectively. In June 2010, Turner was granted permission by the Rockets to talk to the

L.A. Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

about its vacant head coaching job. In July 2011, Turner was interviewed for a defensive coordinator position for the Phoenix Suns along with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

' coordinator Jim Boylan, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

' coordinator Don Newman, and current

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

' coordinator

Pete Myers Peter Eddie Myers (born September 15, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and a former assistant coach for the NBA team Chicago Bulls. Early life and college career Born in Mobile, Alabama, Myers graduated from William ...

. Turner signed a two-year contract, becoming the fifth assistant head coach for the Suns along with

Bill Cartwright James William Cartwright (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" (2.16 m) center, he played 16 seasons for the N ...

Dan Majerle Daniel Lewis Majerle (; born September 9, 1965), also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", is an American former professional basketball player and former coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. He played 14 years in the National Basketball Associat ...

Igor Kokoškov Igor Stefan Kokoškov ( sr-Cyrl, Игор Стефан Кокошков; born December 17, 1971) is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He had spen ...

, and Noel Gillespie. In July 2012, Turner was interviewed for the Portland Trail Blazers' vacant head coach position. He was one of the final four candidates, competing against

Terry Stotts Terry Linn Stotts (born November 25, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a playing as a fo ...

Steve Clifford Steven Gerald Clifford (born September 17, 1961) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. Early ...

, and then-interim coach

Kaleb Canales Victor Kaleb Canales (born July 7, 1978) is an American basketball coach who last served as assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early career Born in Laredo, Texas, Canales is a graduate of John ...

. Ultimately, he was not hired for the position. In January 2013, Turner resigned from his assistant coach position with Phoenix. He was named an assistant coach by the Memphis Grizzlies in September 2013. On June 3, 2016, Turner joined the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach once more. On June 27, 2019, he returned to the Houston Rockets as the lead assistant coach who was added to focus on running defense—former assistant Jeff Bzdelik’s role. On August 31, 2021, Turner joined the Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach.

Personal

Turner's son, Elston Jr., played guard for the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

Huskies men's basketball team from 2008 through 2010. He has transferred to the

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Aggies for his junior and senior seasons.Ex-Huskies reserve guard Elston Turner moves to Texas A&M
/ref>

Notes

External links

Basketpedya career data
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Elston 1959 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Apollon Patras B.C. players Basketball coaches from Tennessee Basketball players from Knoxville, Tennessee Chicago Bulls players Chicago Rockers players Continental Basketball Association coaches Dallas Mavericks draft picks Dallas Mavericks players Denver Nuggets players Houston Rockets assistant coaches Liga ACB players Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coaches Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Sacramento Kings assistant coaches Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Knoxville, Tennessee Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro players Wichita Falls Texans players