Myles Christian Turner (born March 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season for the Texas Longhorns before declaring for the 2015 NBA draft and being selected by the Pacers with the 11th overall pick.

Early life

Turner was born in Bedford, Texas, to parents David and Mary Turner, and started playing basketball as a six-year-old. He attended Central Junior High School, and as a freshman, he led his team to 27 wins.

High school career

Throughout high school, Turner played AAU basketball for the Texas Select team during the springs and summers to further develop himself and gain recognition as a player, participating in well known tournaments and camps such as the LeBron camp, the Nike Big Man Skills Academy, the NBPA Top 100 camp, Adidas Nations, and the Elite 24 invitational. Between his sophomore and junior year, Turner, then 6'7", broke his ankle during the first spring game of AAU play, hurting his chances of

recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individual ...

, but soon recovered and gained some 30 pounds through two-a-day weight training regimen to improve his game. In his junior year, after fully recovering, Turner averaged 15.7 points, 12.87 rebounds and 8.64 blocks per game, leading Trinity to a 17–13 record and reaching the state playoffs for the first time in 10 years, and only the ninth time in school history dating back to the school's establishment in 1968. He also accumulated six triple-doubles. During the 2013 AAU summer circuit, Turner maintained his high level of production, leading his Texas Select team to the title at the 2013 Jayhawk Invitational in front of coaches from most of the Big 12 schools. Going into his senior year, Turner began garnering nationwide attention and becoming a highly sought after recruit for his athleticism, ball handling, shooting ability, and natural shot blocking ability for someone of his height. He solidified that by finishing out his high school career with 18.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 6.8 blocks per game, leading the Trojans to a 24–7 record. After finishing off his senior year, Turner was one of the last highly sought after recruits left that were uncommitted. He was rated a five-star prospect by many sites including Rivals.com and several more college basketball analysts as well as being considered the No. 2 center in the nation behind Jahlil Okafor. Originally going into his senior year in fall of 2013, Turner had already accumulated 60 various offers, but by his senior year, the list was narrowed down to Texas, Kansas, Duke, Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio State and Oklahoma State. On April 30, 2014, live on

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the Hears ...

's '' Recruiting Insider'', Turner formally announced his commitment to play basketball for the University of Texas. Turner took part in the

2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on April 2, 2014 at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It was the 37th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high school boys. The ...

, in which he recorded seven points and seven rebounds. He also represented the United States in the

2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship Standings Group A ---- ---- ---- Group B ---- ---- ---- Final round * denotes overtime period Classification 5–8 ---- Semifinals ---- Final classification games Seventh place game Fifth place game Bronze me ...

, helping the country win a gold medal.

College career

As a freshman at Texas in 2014–15, Turner averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, earning 2015 Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. On March 30, 2015, Turner declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility. In June 2015, Turner said, "The decision wasn't really that hard because I knew I would be picked pretty high, so I knew this was my opportunity to go."

Professional career

Indiana Pacers (2015–present)

Turner was selected by the

with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He missed 21 games between November 13 and December 28 of his rookie season after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left thumb. On January 22, 2016, he scored a then career-high 31 points in a 122–110 loss to the

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 ...

. On March 3, he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February after ranking third among East first-year players in scoring (13.4 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg) and minutes (29.8 mpg) during the month. On March 24, he recorded 24 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 92–84 win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. Turner helped the Pacers reach to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 45–37 record, where they lost 4–3 to the Toronto Raptors in the first round. At the season's end, he earned

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

honors.

In the Pacers' season opener on October 26, 2016, Turner recorded 30 points and a career high-tying 16 rebounds in a 130–121 overtime win over 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 ...

. On December 15, he scored 26 points in a 102–95 loss to the

. On March 26, he had 17 points and tied a career high with 16 rebounds in a 107–94 win over 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 ...

. Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, Turner was elected team captain. In the Pacers' season opener on October 18, 2017, Turner had 21 points and 14 rebounds in a 140–131 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He missed the next eight games due to a concussion. On November 19, he scored a season-high 25 points against Miami Heat. Turner missed nine games in January with an injured right elbow. On March 13, he tied his season high with 25 points against the

. On October 15, 2018, Turner signed a four-year, $72 million contract extension with the Pacers. On October 29, in a 103–93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Turner had three blocks to tie James Edwards (391) for number eight on the franchise's NBA career list. On December 10, he recorded a then season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds in a 109–101 win over the Washington Wizards. On December 23, he had 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 105–89 win over the Wizards. On March 5, he had a then career-high seven blocks in a 105–96 win over the Chicago Bulls. On March 18, he scored a season-high 28 points in a 106–98 loss to the Trail Blazers. On February 25, 2020 Turner recorded a career-high eight blocks in a 119–80 win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. On December 22, 2020, in the Pacers' season-opener, Turner matched a career-high eight blocks in a 121–107 win over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. On January 6, 2021, he recorded eight blocks again in a 114–107 win over 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 ...

. Turner finished the season with a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game. On October 22, 2021, Turner recorded a career-high 40 points, along with five three-pointers, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a 134–135 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards. On November 4, Turner scored 25 points while recording a career-high seven 3-pointers and grabbing 13 rebounds in a 111–98 victory against the

. On January 28, 2022, he was ruled out for at least two weeks with a stress reaction in his left foot. On February 10, he was shut down through the All-Star break. On February 23, Turner was ruled out for multiple more weeks. On March 28, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He would have led the league in blocks had he played the necessary 58 games, and finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game in 42 games, while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the three-point line. On February 23, 2023, Turner tied a career-high 40 points on a career-high eight three-pointers made and also put up 10 rebounds in a 142–138 overtime loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 60 , , 30 , , 22.8 , , .498 , , .214 , , .727 , , 5.5 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 81 , , 81 , , 31.4 , , .511 , , .348 , , .809 , , 7.3 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 2.1 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 65 , , 62 , , 28.2 , , .479 , , .357 , , .777 , , 6.4 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 1.8 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 74 , , 74 , , 28.6 , , .487 , , .388 , , .736 , , 7.2 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , style="background:#cfecec;" , 2.7* , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 62 , , 62 , , 29.5 , , .457 , , .344 , , .751 , , 6.6 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 2.1 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 47 , , 47 , , 31.0 , , .477 , , .335 , , .782 , , 6.5 , , 1.0, , .9 , , style="background:#cfecec;" , 3.4* , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 42 , , 42 , , 29.4 , , .509 , , .333 , , .752 , , 7.1 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 2.8 , , 12.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 431 , , 398 , , 28.7 , , .489 , , .349 , , .768 , , 6.7 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 2.3 , , 12.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 7 , , 4 , , 28.1 , , .465 , , .000 , , .667 , , 6.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , 3.3 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 4 , , 4 , , 33.3 , , .432 , , .000 , , .625 , , 6.8 , , .8 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 7 , , 7 , , 28.0 , , .611 , , .462 , , .789 , , 5.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .6 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 4 , , 4 , , 31.5 , , .400 , , .214 , , .615 , , 6.3 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 1.8 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left;", Indiana , 4 , , 4 , , 36.5 , , .568 , , .429 , , .438 , , 10.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 4.0 , , 15.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 26 , , 23 , , 30.7 , , .500 , , .306 , , .631 , , 6.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , 2.1 , , 11.7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Texas , 34 , , 7 , , 22.2 , , .455 , , .274 , , .839 , , 6.5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 2.6 , , 10.1

Personal life

During his own time, Turner enjoys building Lego sets and practicing yoga.

References

External links

Texas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Myles 1996 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Centers (basketball) Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Bedford, Texas Power forwards (basketball) Texas Longhorns men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century African-American sportspeople