1-on-1 with David Turner: On Myles' new contract, impact in the community and the celebratory cigar
A winter storm kept Myles' family from attending his press conference on Jan. 30 to commemorate his new contract. They made it a few days later and his father, David, talked with Fieldhouse Files.
One month ago, Myles Turner and the Pacers agreed to a two-year contract extension to continue their partnership.
The team kept their rim protector and a player who, in a contract year, was having the best season in his career at just 26 years old. It allowed for Turner, their 2015 first-round pick, to receive $58 million in guaranteed money, including an additional $17.1 million immediately. This season. And then he will be a free agent again in 2026, when the salary cap is expected to rise due to a significant increase in revenue from national TV rights.
“Every agent is taking about it,” team president Kevin Pritchard said of the expectation after signing Turner to this extension.
After an agreement was reached over the last weekend in January, a formal ceremony was held on January 30 to celebrate Turner staying put. However, several key individuals were noticeably absent.
His mom (Mary), Dad (David), sister (Mya) and manager (Lavelt). An unusual ice storm hit Texas and so they were stuck at home, unable to get a flight out to Indy for several days.
This group has been through a lot together. Like Myles breaking his ankle during his sophomore season in high school and considering quitting to evaluators criticizing the way he runs prior to the draft and being mentioned frequently over the last few years in trade rumors.
That’s in addition to him having four coaches in eight seasons, adapting to play alongside All-Star Domantas Sabonis and his last two seasons being cut short due to injuries.
This season, Turner is averaging 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.7% from the field and 40% from 3-point range — all career highs.
Throughout that Monday afternoon press conference, with eight teammates sitting in row 1 and coaches in row 2, I kept thinking about Turner’s family and them missing out on a significant moment. Nonetheless, they were back home watching the live stream with great pride.
Several days later, they were able to fly out of Dallas and get to Indianapolis to celebrate with Myles over a nice dinner.
The Turner family attends the majority of home games, sitting in row 4 across the court from the Pacers’ bench. At their first game back, David Turner spoke with Fieldhouse Files about his son’s new contract and the growth he’s witnessed.
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