Former Texas star Myles Turner helps put Pacers in 1st NBA Finals in 25 years
Editor’s note: The above video is KXAN’s coverage of Myles Turner’s signing at Texas ahead of the 2014-15 NCAA men’s basketball season
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Get your bucket hats out, Longhorns fans.
As the NBA Finals get going Thursday between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the lone Texas Longhorn on the floor vying for the Larry O’Brien Trophy will be Pacers center Myles Turner.
Turner famously donned a burnt orange Longhorns bucket hat when he announced his commitment to Texas, which led sales of the hat style to skyrocket at the Erwin Center during the 2014-15 season when Turner was on campus.
He was a McDonald’s High School All-American out of Euless Trinity in the DFW metroplex, and at the time, head coach Rick Barnes said Turner “wanted to be part of a team.”
“He never made it about himself,” Barnes said. “He never said to us that I have to start or do this or do that, and those are the players you want to recruit.”
Turner has played his entire 10-year NBA career with the Pacers, who drafted him No. 11 overall in the 2015 NBA draft. Of the 2015 draft class members, Turner is No. 3 in total win shares (48.7), behind New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Phoenix’s Devin Booker. The 6-foot-11 center averages 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game for his career. He’s led the NBA in blocked shots twice, swatting an average of 2.7 blocks per game in the 2018-19 season and 3.4 per game in 2020-21.
Turner scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds in 21 minutes during the Pacers’ 125-108 win over the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 31. He said after the game that a pick-up game in Nashville two years ago told him all he needed to know about this year’s team.
“I saw everyone’s ability, and the dedication from everybody,” he said. “To get everyone on the same page in the offseason is so tough. Everybody showed up.”
Turner signed a 2-year, $41 million extension with the Pacers ahead of the 2023-24 season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next season.
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As a Longhorn, he was one of the most coveted recruits in the country, playing just one season in Austin before heading to the NBA. He led the Big 12 Conference with 2.7 blocks per game and was named the conference’s rookie of the year and a member of the all-defensive team. He averaged 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, shooting 45.5% from the field and 83.9% from the foul line.
Turner is the 11th Texas player to play in the NBA Finals.
