Myles Turner, the longest-tenured Pacer, is ‘the backbone’ for the franchise and community

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INDIANAPOLIS — As the crowd celebrated the Indiana Pacers winning the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years, center Myles Turner took the mic from the Pacers’ postgame host. With a beaming smile, Turner patted his chest with pride and looked out at the crowd.

“Indyyyyyyyy!” he yelled.

“Anaaaaaaaaaa!” the crowd yelled in response.

“Indyyyyyyyyy!”

“Anaaaaaaaaaaa!”

It was a moment a decade in the making. Turner, the longest-tenured member of the Pacers, arrived as the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has spent his entire career in blue and gold.

“Y’all been rocking with me for 10 years, man,” Turner told the fans. “I got nothing but love and respect for this city, this team, and this organization.

“But we got four more, baby. We got four more to bring it home, man.”

During his time in Indianapolis, Turner has seen his fair share of ups and downs. Indiana made the playoffs in each of Turner’s first five seasons but never advanced beyond the first round. Players like Paul George, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, and David West came and went. Turner himself has been linked to trade rumors throughout his career.

“Myles is a professional. He’s extremely loyal,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said last week. “He has a great ability to focus on what’s important. Over the years, I think all players that are really good players, at some time or another, likely have their name involved in trade rumors. Whether it’s leaked by another team, whether it’s somebody that just is throwing stuff on the wall, creating content, whatever it is.

“I’ve just really admired his loyalty to the franchise, his ability to focus on what’s important to him and his family, and to keep soldiering on.”

In his Pacers career, Turner has played in 642 regular-season games, averaging 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Through Game 5 of the finals, Turner has played in 64 playoff games and is averaging 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from 3. He’s the franchise leader for blocks, sixth in games played and eighth in minutes played.

Those numbers could change next season if Turner returns to the only NBA franchise he’s ever played for. Turner is an unrestricted free agent and No. 6 on The Athletic’s John Hollinger’s BORD$ player valuation system for free agents:

“Turner might be the most contentious free-agent negotiation of the summer,” Hollinger writes. “Between his unrestricted status, the lack of competing cap-space teams, the Pacers’ accomplishments this season, Indiana’s potential tax and apron issues if it pays him big money and the fact his deal cannot be extended before he hits free agency … all the ingredients seem to be there for a prolonged staredown that ends with hurt feelings.”

Spending 10 seasons with the same team is rare in the NBA, and in this year’s playoffs, Turner has relished every moment, understanding that the opportunity to play for a championship doesn’t come easy or often.

“It’s just the moment itself, man,” Turner said of his postseason experience.  “Every single day, just how painful it is after a game, how much you don’t sleep, how much better the food tastes. All the little things, I’m not taking it for granted. Just finally being here and finally being able to soak my feet in the moment. Just taking it day-by-day. I think the best part about it is just the process of it all. It’s been a lot of fun.

“Just the fact that I’m here. I may not ever get this opportunity again so I’m just going to take full advantage of it. That’s the biggest value; the fact that you worked hard to get here and just never knowing where that opportunity is gonna present itself.”

Turner’s loyalty is the reason that he is the Pacer who other Pacers, veterans and youngsters alike, turn to. It’s not only his contributions on the court that matter to his teammates, but also who he is to them off of it.

“S—, he’s the backbone,” veteran James Johnson said. “The man does all the hard work. He does everything without complaining, and he’s super professional. He’s a good example for any kids or any rookies, fifth-year, sixth-year guys in the league. He’s a perfect example and a great inspiration on how you should always carry yourself.

“He works out hard every day. He don’t miss days, even on days that’s off days, he’s doing something for his body to be better. That’s a testament to how much he loves the game.”

This year, Turner jokingly referred to the Pacers running on “the power of friendship,” a humorous comment that contains some truth. Turner and his teammates spend a lot of time together, even when they’re not playing basketball. The heart and soul of the team, players describe him as fiery, vocal and mature. And younger Pacers like Ben Sheppard look to him for wisdom and advice.

“He means so much. I think he’s our staple,” Sheppard said. “The city loves him. He’s been here for 10 years, just so important to the city and this organization. And as a young guy, just picking up all the information that he has, and it all just trickles down to the young guys, his experience in the city and with this organization.

“So definitely blessed to have a teammate like Myles.”

But Turner isn’t just special to his teammates; he’s an anchor for the fans. Though he isn’t a quote-unquote-superstar, it’s his jersey that hangs in local bars. Turner is a beloved figure in Indianapolis for his longevity and his loyalty.

After George Hill was dealt to Utah in 2016 and Paul George was traded to the Thunder the following year, Turner inherited a fan zone in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “Turner’s Block,”  as the section is now called, features some of Indiana’s most vocal supporters and a block counter tracking Turner’s skill on the defensive end. Auditions for Turner’s fan section are held annually and Pacers super fans get 33 seconds to impress Turner, his sister, and one celebrity judge. Out of more than 100 submissions, 32 fans are selected for the coveted seats in Turner’s Block, where members get not only a ticket for themselves, but a plus-one for the entire regular season.

“I love the Pacers and it gives me a chance to stand and cheer for the team,” said Michael Hopson, a Pacers fan of 30 years. “I was in Area 55 for Roy Hibbert and have been in Turner’s Block since the beginning. Myles has been a great asset to the city with his charity work and an all-around inspiration to the fans and the city.”

In February 2022, point guard Tyrese Haliburton joined the Pacers via trade from Sacramento. In Haliburton, Indiana had found its new star, a new centerpiece to build around and with his arrival, a new hope returned to the fanbase after missing the playoffs for three seasons.

In just over two seasons together, Haliburton and Turner have formed a bond in their shared roles as leaders of a young, fast Pacers squad.

“We feel like our synergy and connection has grown over time,” Haliburton said. “We constantly are sending each other clips of how we can be better in pick-and-roll, how I can help him, how he can help me, whatever the case is. We get along really well. I think that that has given us a lot of success.

“Now having experience playing with Myles so long, I feel like he unlocks a lot of what I do. It’s been an interesting dynamic to play alongside him. It’s been a lot of fun, a fun experience to play with him and get to know him better.”

Heading into Game 6 on Thursday at Gainbridge, the “four more” Turner mentioned after winning the East has turned into two more to bring it home as the Pacers trail 3-2 in the finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the Pacers pull out a win, Turner and the only franchise he’s known will have one game in OKC to win the Pacers’ first NBA title. But if the Pacers lose on Thursday — they may not want to imagine a team without Turner — Game 6 could potentially be the end of the Turner era in Indianapolis.

“He’s one of our leaders,” Aaron Nesmith said. “He’s one of the heads of the snake on our team.

“He helps keep us composed, helps us keep the main thing, the main thing.”

(Photo of Myles Turner: Brandon Todd / NBAE via Getty Images)

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