EXCLUSIVE: Myles Turner Teaches, Talks Mavs' ‘Rare’ Luka Doncic, Playoffs
DALLAS — Whether he ever finds himself as part of the Dallas Mavericks at some point in the future or not, Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner will always have a large number of fans in the DFW area due to work he does in his home community.
On Saturday, Turner hosted his fourth annual basketball camp for kids in Dallas. He took some time to sit down with DallasBasketball.com’s Bri Amaranthus for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview to talk about the camp, Luka Doncic’s fast rise to stardom and more.
“It’s pure joy, happiness and fun under one roof,” said Turner of his kids hoop camp. “I want to make sure to share my journey, my message, my love of the game for the kids. They’re like sponges when they’re this young, they soak it all up.”
Although Turner has played in Indiana over the last seven years, he always makes time to come home and add to the ever-growing basketball culture in Dallas.
“I spend a lot of time in Fort Worth, a lot of time in Dallas. I feel like this whole metroplex is one, in a sense. Especially with the hoops culture we’re establishing here,” said Turner.
“I feel like basketball is making huge waves here, even just in the past 10 years. And I want to see it continue to pump more and more talent out of the area. What better place to start than where I’m from.”
Turner took the opportunity to teach the kids fundamentals on and off the court. After a fun session of hooping, Turner asked each child at the camp, ages 6-11, to introduce themselves to him, shake his hand and look him in the eye. If someone mumbled or broke eye contact, they got to try again.
The fun interactions continued in his afternoon session with 100 older kids ages 12-18. Turner, who's led the NBA in blocks twice, bet $500 that no one could score on him. The kids erupted with cheers as one camper swooshed a bucket over Turner's head and he reached for his wallet.
Turner takes pride in the home-grown basketball talent while also commending how Doncic’s fast rise to NBA stardom has has helped boost Dallas’ basketball culture. Turner believes Doncic has already firmly established himself among the league’s most elite players.
“Oh, he’s definitely up there,” said Turner. “The way he sees the game, the way he’s able to get everyone involved, the swag he plays with — he embodies — is rare. Especially as young as he is. He came into this league really killing it from the jump.
“I think he’s going to continue to work on his body and work on the little facets of his game. As far as straight talent, he already has all that down. So hopefully he’s in Dallas for years to come. But it’s interesting to see how he’s able to garner so much success so fast.”
The Mavs not only made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years last season, but they also reached the Western Conference Finals after knocking off the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in a thrilling seven-game, second-round series. Turner was seen courtside at American Airlines Center taking in the Mavs’ postseason action, and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“That atmosphere was electric,” said Turner. “It’s one thing to play (at AAC) during the season, but Mavericks playoffs was interesting to watch from the sideline. I went to a (Mavs) playoff game when I was a kid, but I was really young and couldn’t appreciate it the same way. … It was cool to see.
“I was surprised they beat Phoenix and made it as far as they did. Hopefully they continue to build on their success as well.”
The Mavs will try to do just that, despite losing arguably their second-best player, Jalen Brunson, to the New York Knicks in free agency this summer. Dallas bolstered its big-man depth by adding Christian Wood and JaVale McGee, but still has a secondary playmaking role to fill before training camp begins.
