Evan Turner

Evan Turner
Evan Turner
Born	October 27, 1988 (age 38); United States
Occupation(s)	Basketball player, coach
Years active	–present
Known for	Former professional basketball player; assistant coach for the Boston Celtics

Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is a former professional basketball player and current coach from the United States, most recently serving as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected second overall in the 2010 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Turner attended St. Joseph High School located in Westchester, Illinois, where he established himself as one of the nation’s premier high school players at his position.

While playing at Ohio State University, Turner earned first-team All-American recognition in 2010 and was honored with the prestigious John R. Wooden Award as the National Player of the Year. He secured two scoring titles and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Turner received unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selections from both coaches and media for two consecutive seasons (2008–09, 2009–10). During the 2009–10 campaign, he uniquely led the conference in scoring while ranking second in both rebounds and assists, setting records for Conference Player of the Week awards in both career total and single season.

In March 2022, Turner initiated a podcast titled Point Forward alongside former 76ers teammate Andre Iguodala.

Early life

Turner was born with a low birth weight and endured multiple serious health issues during his first year, including chicken pox, pneumonia, asthma, and measles. The 1989 Chicago measles outbreak necessitated emergency medical treatment and surgeries to remove his adenoids and tonsils. At age three, he suffered a concussion and required stitches after being struck by a vehicle. Additionally, dental complications led to a speech impediment, which he addressed through therapy.

High school career

Prior to high school, Turner played alongside future NBA athlete Iman Shumpert on an eighth-grade team based in Oak Park, Illinois. He also competed in the 2004 Summer AAU Boys 15-under National Championship representing the Illinois Knights. As a sophomore at St. Joseph High School, he played a key role in guiding his team to qualify for the Illinois AA Boys High School basketball tournament, drawing attention from NCAA Division I programs. St. Joseph had previously produced NBA legend Isiah Thomas, and Turner shared the court with notable talents such as Derrick Rose and Demetri McCamey.

By his junior year, Turner had attracted significant Division I scholarship offers and was featured on the Chicago Tribune list of top Chicago-area basketball players. His squad advanced to the state sectional final but was defeated by Proviso East High School. Following his junior season, he was ranked among the top 25 national prospects in his graduating class and earned honorable mention all-state accolades. In summer 2006, Turner committed to Ohio State University, influenced in part by his father’s ties to Columbus.

During his senior season, St. Joseph was ranked second behind Rose’s Simeon Career Academy in Chicago-area preseason polls. Turner earned first-team honors on the Associated Press Class AA all-state team but saw his team eliminated by Simeon in the supersectional round. He placed third in Illinois Mr. Basketball voting and was selected first-team all-state by the Chicago Tribune. National recruiting organizations rated him highly as a small forward (#7 by ESPN, #13 by rivals.com, #16 by scout.com). His scholarship offers included five Big Ten schools along with Wake Forest, DePaul, and Notre Dame.

Freshman year

During his freshman season, Turner averaged 27.1 minutes on the court, contributing 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He ranked second on the team in assists and was third in steals. On January 19, 2008, he achieved his first career double-double against the Tennessee Vols, recording over 20 points and 10 rebounds for the first time. Turner played a pivotal role in Ohio State's triumph in the 2008 National Invitation Tournament, posting averages of 18.5 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3 steals throughout the semifinal and final contests held at Madison Square Garden. Throughout the tournament, he was a consistent starter and logged substantial playing time.

Sophomore year

In his sophomore campaign, Turner was honored as Big Ten Player of the Week on three occasions during the 2008–09 season (December 8, 2008; February 2 and 9, 2009). On February 26, he stood out as the sole Big Ten player named among the Top 15 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Operating as a guard/forward for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Conference, Turner led his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals per game while topping the conference in scoring.

Together with teammate Manny Harris, Turner became one of only five players in Big Ten history to rank within the top ten for points, rebounds, and assists since assists began being officially tracked in the 1983–84 season. Despite not being selected as a preseason All-Big Ten player, he emerged as the only unanimous first-team All-Big Ten choice by both coaches and media at season’s conclusion. On March 5, Turner earned a place on the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 7 first team alongside four fellow sophomores. He also secured selection to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s 2008–09 Men's Division I District V Team.

Turner received an honorable mention as a 2009 All-American from the Associated Press. Although Ohio State fell to Purdue in the Big Ten tournament final, Turner was named to the tournament team on March 15. Additionally, he represented the United States at the 2009 Junior World University Games alongside conference colleagues Robbie Hummel and Talor Battle, contributing to a bronze medal finish with a 6–1 record.

Junior year

Turner’s junior season commenced with notable preseason accolades. ESPN included both Kalin Lucas and Turner on its 2009–10 preseason second-team All-American list, while FOX Sports placed him on its fifth team. He was also among the 50 preseason candidates for both the Wooden Award and Naismith College Player of the Year honors. The Big Ten media panel selected him as a first-team preseason All-Big Ten member.

Known by his nickname "The Villain," Turner began the season by posting the first triple-double by a Big Ten player since 2001 during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Alcorn State. This performance earned him his fourth career Big Ten Player of the Week award and his first of that season. He extended his streak of consecutive double-doubles to four games and secured back-to-back weekly honors. Two weeks following his initial triple-double, he recorded another against Lipscomb University, capturing a third straight Player of the Week accolade.

On December 5, 2009, Turner sustained transverse process fractures in his lower back that sidelined him for two months. He made an early return on January 6, 2010, shortly after Ohio State dropped out of the top 25 rankings during his absence. With his comeback, Ohio State reentered the top 25 on January 18; Turner earned his fourth Big Ten Player of the Week award after leading victories over two ranked conference opponents. On February 8, he set a new conference record by winning his eighth career Big Ten Player of the Week honor—surpassing Glenn Robinson and Jackson—and tying Robinson’s single-season record. Two weeks later, he broke that single-season mark with outstanding performances against No. 4 Purdue and No. 11 Michigan State. He secured another Player of the Week award on March 1.

Turner guided Ohio State to a share of the regular-season Big Ten championship and clinched the top seed for the 2010 Big Ten tournament. On March 12, he hit a buzzer-beating 37-foot three-pointer to defeat Michigan in the tournament opener. He followed that with a 31-point effort against Illinois—including crucial baskets during overtime and double overtime—and then scored another 31 points in the championship game versus Minnesota. Turner was honored as Tournament Most Outstanding Player and earned selection to the All-Tournament team.

He repeated as Big Ten scoring champion and narrowly missed leading in total rebounds but did lead in defensive rebounds. Ranking second in assists and third in steals for the conference, Turner became the first men’s basketball player to finish among the top two in average points (20.4), rebounds (9.2), and assists (6.0) per game—and also was the first to place within the top five across all three statistical categories simultaneously.

Honors and Accolades

Turner emerged as a Midseason Top-30 contender for the 2010 John R. Wooden Award and secured a spot on the final 26-player ballot. Subsequently, he was chosen for the ten-member Wooden All-American squad and advanced to the final five candidates, ultimately capturing the award on April 9. Earlier that February, he was also listed among the midseason Top 30 candidates for the Naismith College Player of the Year, an honor he claimed in April 2010.

He earned the USBWA's Robertson Trophy as the unanimous selection across all nine districts. Turner was named National Player of the Year by Fox, Associated Press, and Sporting News, receiving 54 out of 65 votes from the AP panel. Additionally, he was honored as Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

By securing major awards such as the Wooden, Naismith, Robertson, Fox Sports, NABC, TSN, and AP Player of the Year honors, Turner nearly achieved a clean sweep of key player of the year distinctions; meanwhile, competitor John Wall took home the Adolph Rupp Trophy and Yahoo! Sports player of the year. He earned unanimous first-team All Big Ten recognition from both coaches and media and was named the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Turner also received the Big Ten Conference male Athlete of the Year accolade.

Turner was selected as a first-team All-American by multiple outlets including Associated Press, Sporting News, Fox Sports, NABC, USBWA, and Yahoo! Sports. In March, he was listed among six finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.

On February 16, 2016, Ohio State honored Turner by retiring his college number 21 during halftime of a game against Michigan at Value City Arena.

Philadelphia 76ers (2010–2014)

On April 7, 2010, Turner declared his intention to skip his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA draft, where he was widely expected to be among the top three selections. He signed with agent David Falk and was picked second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, agreeing to a two-year contract with an option for a third year valued at approximately $12 million.

Turner made his NBA debut on October 27, 2010, contributing 16 points off the bench in a defeat to the Miami Heat. His first career start came on November 7 when he posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. On December 29, he achieved a personal best with 23 points during a victory over the Phoenix Suns. Over his rookie campaign, Turner started fourteen games and recorded two double-doubles. The 76ers improved their record from 27–55 to an even 41–41 and qualified for the 2011 NBA Playoffs as a seventh seed but were eliminated in five games by Miami.

On February 8, 2012, Turner took part in the Rising Stars Challenge, debuting a new line of Li-Ning footwear. During that season, he twice notched career-high scoring marks of 26 points and topped those with a career-best 29 points alongside 13 rebounds on April 25. Starting twenty games that year, he posted five double-doubles. In Philadelphia’s playoff run that season, Turner recorded multiple double-doubles before their exit in the second round.

In the 2012–13 NBA season, Turner started every one of Philadelphia’s 82 games while setting personal bests with averages of 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game along with fourteen double-doubles. Notably on December 7, he sank a game-winning basket in overtime against the Boston Celtics.

The Sixers opted not to extend Turner's contract before October 31, 2013’s deadline, rendering him a restricted free agent at season’s conclusion. On November 9, Turner established a new career scoring high with 31 points versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also delivered buzzer-beating game winners on December 20 against the Brooklyn Nets and January 29 facing the Boston Celtics. Although knee soreness sidelined him for one game in December, Turner bounced back with an impressive 32-point effort against the Los Angeles Lakers. On January 22, he posted a career-best performance by scoring 38 points along with grabbing 11 rebounds in a victory over the New York Knicks.

Indiana Pacers (2014)

On February 20, 2014, Turner, along with Lavoy Allen, was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Danny Granger and a second-round draft selection. Turner made his Pacers debut on February 25, contributing 13 points and 6 rebounds off the bench during a game where the team's reserves scored a season-best 50 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. On April 6, he added 23 points from the bench to help the Pacers secure a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

An incident occurred on April 21, 2014, involving Turner and teammate Lance Stephenson during a practice session. In the first-round playoff Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks, with Indiana trailing 3–2 in the series, head coach Frank Vogel altered the lineup by excluding Turner and reallocating playing time to Rasual Butler. Turner returned for the second round facing the Washington Wizards. However, he missed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the two-time defending champions, the Miami Heat, due to strep throat.

Boston Celtics (2014–2016)

After Indiana chose not to extend an $8.7 million qualifying offer, Turner entered unrestricted free agency and signed with the Boston Celtics on July 21, 2014, officially joining them in late September. Starting as a reserve, Turner was promoted to a starting position during injuries to Marcus Smart and Rajon Rondo, highlighted by a team-leading 19 points in a victory over the Chicago Bulls. Throughout the season, he made significant contributions including a critical three-pointer that forced overtime against the Washington Wizards and achieving a season-high 29 points at Chicago's United Center.

Turner delivered several clutch game-winning shots, notably a last-second three-pointer against the Portland Trail Blazers and a buzzer-beater versus the Atlanta Hawks. On February 25, 2015, he recorded his first career triple-double with totals of 10 points, 10 assists, and 12 rebounds in a matchup against the New York Knicks. He added two more triple-doubles that season and set a personal best with 13 assists in a game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing every game in the 2014–15 campaign, Turner averaged 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and a career-high 6.5 assists per contest. Additionally, he was selected to participate in the inaugural NBA Africa Game 2015 during the offseason.

In the following season (2015–16), Turner continued to make an impact on both ends of the floor. A highlight came on March 26 when he posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds while blocking Devin Booker's potential game-tying shot against the Phoenix Suns.

Portland Trail Blazers (2016–2019)

Turner agreed to a four-year contract worth $70 million with the Portland Trail Blazers on July 6, 2016. During preseason competition for the starting small forward position against Maurice Harkless, Turner ultimately did not secure the spot. He debuted by contributing 3 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench in a win over the Utah Jazz. When Harkless was sidelined by injury in December, Turner stepped into the starting lineup and recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Memphis Grizzlies. On January 5, 2017, he posted a season-high of 20 points—including an impressive 15 points in the fourth quarter—to lead Portland past the Los Angeles Lakers. His performance on January 11 featured an outstanding 11 assists off the bench against the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking Portland's highest assist total from a reserve player in nearly three years.

In February of that year, Turner suffered a fracture to his right hand which caused him to miss five to six weeks. He returned on March 18 after sitting out for fourteen games; during his absence, Portland achieved a balanced record of seven wins and seven losses. He closed out that season averaging 13.0 points per game—his best scoring average since the 2014–15 season. Turner began the 2017 NBA playoffs with a double-double performance; however, Portland was swept in four games by the dominant Golden State Warriors.

On January 1, 2018, Turner scored a season-best of 22 points in an overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls. Later, on April 1, 2019, he notched his fourth career triple-double by recording 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists off the bench in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, becoming one of only seven NBA players to achieve such a feat with five or fewer field goal attempts. Two days afterwards, he secured back-to-back triple-doubles with totals of 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists versus the Memphis Grizzlies, marking Portland’s first consecutive triple-double performances since Clyde Drexler accomplished it during the 1989–90 campaign.

During the second round of playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, Turner's scoring was limited to four points across six games; however, he contributed significantly by scoring fourteen points—including ten in the crucial fourth quarter—in Game Seven to help propel Portland into their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the year 2000.

Atlanta Hawks tenure (2019–2020)

On June 24, 2019, Turner was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in return for Kent Bazemore.

Later, on February 5, 2020, Turner became part of a four-team trade that sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves, although he never appeared in a game for them.

Retirement announcement

Turner declared his retirement from professional basketball on November 30, 2020.

Coaching career

During the 2020–21 season, Turner took on the role of assistant coach with the Boston Celtics.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 78 || 14 || 23.0 || .425 || .318 || .808 || 3.9 || 2.0 || .6 || .2 || 7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 65 || 20 || 26.4 || .446 || .224 || .676 || 5.8 || 2.8 || .6 || .3 || 9.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 35.3 || .419 || .365 || .740 || 6.3 || 4.3 || .9 || .2 || 13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 54 || 54 || 34.9 || .428 || .288 || .829 || 6.0 || 3.7|| 1.0 || .1 || 17.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Indiana | 27 || 2 || 21.1 || .411 || .500 || .706 || 3.2 || 2.4 || .4 || .1 || 7.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | 82 || 57 || 27.6 || .429 || .277 || .752 || 5.1 || 6.5 || 1.0|| .2||9.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Boston |81||12||28.0||.456||.241||.827||4.9||4.4||1.0||.3||10.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Portland |65||12||25.5||.426||.263||.825||3.8||3.2||.8||0.4||9.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Portland |79||40||25.7||.447||.318||.850||3.1||2.2||.6||0.4||8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Portland |73||2||22.0||0.460||.212||.708||4.5||3.9||.5||.2||6.8 |-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" |Atlanta 
|19||0||13.2||.373||0|||0.857|||2|||2|||0.5|||0.4|||3.3

|- class="sortbottom"

|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
|705||295||26.9||0.434|||0.294|||0.782|||4.6|||3.7|||0.8|||0.3|||9.7

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2011 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 5 || 0 || 19.4 || .447 || .800 || 1.000 || 4.6 || .8 || .6 || .2 || 8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2012 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 13 || 12 || 34.5 || .364 || .000 || .688 || 7.5 || 2.5 || .9 || .5 || 11.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2014 | style="text-align:left;"|Indiana | 12 || 0 || 12.4 || .429 || .571 || 1.000 || 2..2 ||=1..6 ||=..3 ||=..0 ||=3..3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- class="sortbottom"

|style="text-align:center;" colspan= "2"|Career
|63||||27||||23..5||||372||||356||||765||||50||||26||||07||||03||||73

Personal life

Turner's mother is Iris James, and he has two elder siblings named Darius and Richard.

On August 23, 2010, Turner entered into a long-term endorsement agreement with the Chinese sportswear company Li Ning Company Limited.

An event that attracted media coverage occurred on December 20, 2017, when a semi-trailer truck collided with the pool at Turner's residence in Portland. Fortunately, neither Turner nor his family sustained any injuries during this incident.

External links